Cath Shelley is the Manager of the Melbourne Royal Emerging Leaders program at Melbourne Royal ®, which aim to celebrate and develop the next generation of agricultural leaders through such initiatives as the youth competitions across the Melbourne Royal Show, the Young Farmer’s Challenge, AgriChat and the State final of the Rural Ambassadors program in partnership with VAS. She also the Competitions Manager for Art, Craft and Cookery.

Brianna is a current Director of Queensland Ag Shows, representing the Burnett Sub Chamber and Chair of the Queensland Rural Ambassador committee. Prior to her Board role, Brianna was actively involved with the Queensland Ag Shows Next Generation Committee as Treasurer and then President. Brianna’s proudest Next Gen achievement was the partnership between ASA and Queensland Ag Shows Next Generation which delivered the 2020 Agricultural Shows of Australia Inaugural Conference at the Gold Coast. She has been involved with Queensland Ag Shows since 2010 where she represented Monto and the Burnett as a Miss Showgirl State Finalists and was also named the 2019 Queensland Rural Ambassador Runner Up, having an opportunity to attend the 2021 ASA National Rural Ambassador final in Sydney in 2022. In addition to her show involvement, Brianna serves as a Director of North Burnett Community Enterprises Limited which operates the Mundubbera Bendigo Community Bank Branch and is an Honorary Solicitor to a number of Agricultural Shows throughout the Burnett.

Carla has been a member of the RNA Future Directions Committee since 2016 and Deputy Chair from 2018-2020, a life member of the RNA for 25 years and a steward at the Ekka for nearly 20 years in the sheep and wool section. She hopes her position on the RNA Future Directions Committee will allow her to contribute in a greater way to the ongoing success of Queensland’s largest event and recognises the importance of strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to make this happen.

Since 2020, Carla has been part of ASA Emerging Leaders and has enjoyed contributing to the compilation of the groups strategic plan and direction for moving forward. She looks forward to actively participating as part of the group as we look to sustain the future of agricultural shows through a next generation approach.

Carla has extensive experience in event, sponsorship and project management and currently works as an Events and Sponsorship Manager at The University of Queensland.

Karl is a 5th generation farmer and soon to be father from Eudunda, South Australia with a massive passion for agriculture, connecting/developing rural communities and their well-being. In the last 3 years he has tripled the size of their enterprise which consists of broad acre cropping and merino sheep production. Since becoming the Eudunda shows Rural ambassador back in 2018 he has brought more livestock, increased education around grains into the local show as well as becoming the president in 2022. At the 2022 Royal Easter Show he was announced the 2021 National Rural Ambassador and since then have been fortunate enough to attend the Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart and Adelaide shows through this program. Karl is excited to continue my involvement with country and royal shows and look forward to what opportunities arise.

Grace has been extensively involved with agricultural shows across Victoria since a young age. As the Chair of the Melbourne Royal Emerging Leaders Group, she relishes the opportunity to deliver high impact and engaging initiatives focused on young people at the Melbourne Royal Show, and across the agriculture industry. Grace was also named the National Rural Ambassador Runner Up in 2021.

With a passion for best practice livestock production and animal welfare, Grace works in science communication and engagement, and also operates a stud sheep enterprise near Ballarat in Western Victoria.

Dione Howard is the 2022 Agricultural Shows Australia National Rural Ambassador. Dione’s day job is as a veterinarian in the Riverina region of NSW, based in Wagga Wagga. Her involvement in the agricultural industry also includes sharing her story with school students and promoting the Australian wool industry. She is a member of her local Lockhart Show Society, and has had the opportunity to travel to both NSW and interstate shows in her role as RAS of NSW Rural Achiever Representative (2021) and as National Rural Ambassador. Dione has been involved in judging NSW Young Woman Competitions at both local show and Zone levels, and more recently the Queensland Rural Ambassador Awards.

Matilda has grown up in the Northern Midlands of Tasmania on a small family sheep property. With a passion for horses, home industries, wool and sheep, it was a ‘no-brainer’ that she’d be involved in her local show, The Campbell Town Show as an exhibitor and on the show committee as the Wool Convenor. 

Matilda very proudly represented the Midlands Agricultural Association, The Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania and Tasmanian Agricultural Shows at the 2022 Sydney Royal Show and was awarded the 2022 Agricultural Shows Australia National Rural Ambassador Runner-up. 

Andrew is a founding member of the South Australian Next Generation Group.

In 2012 he was a State Rural Ambassador, winning the Year of the Farmer Award. This bursary, allowed travel to attend the New Zealand Young Farmer Contest in person and various sheep studs. He has held the role of the SA Next Gen Young Farmer Challenge Coordinator since 2011, with a year break in 2018. During his time as YFC Coordinator, I have been an inaugural National YFC working group member, presented 10 State Finals, 2 National finals (Including 2022 Virtual AYFC), secured long term sponsorships and built the ‘Boots and Black-Tie Ball’ raising over $18,000 for SA NextGen.

Andrew is also often an over judge for the Young Judges Competition at local shows in South Australia.

Tasha grew up on a mixed grazing property North-West of Condobolin, NSW and currently works for Forbes Livestock & Agency Co. as their Livestock Marketing & Business Development Officer. She has been a member of the Condobolin Show Society Committee since 2017 and has been actively involved in stewarding since a young age. Tash is currently the Chair of the Royal Agriculture Society Youth Group, which help run activations and events across the Easter Show.

Born and raised in Queensland on a large cattle operation – Justin now calls the New England town of Armidale Home with his wife Kate.

A member and active participant of shows and show societies throughout QLD and NSW since he was old enough to go in his first led Stock Horse Class Justin has been and remains to this day a passionate supporter of Agricultural Shows both Small and Large; he’s held many roles from Steward, to Chief Steward, Ringmaster and Announcer in the Cattle & Horse Sections and is also known to dabble in the occasional Men’s Chocolate Cake or Mens BBQ Sauce Class at his local show.

In 2016 Justin won the title of the (then) MARSH Queensland Rural Ambassador, and in 2017 he then went on to be awarded with the Title of National Rural Ambassador. Justin has had involvement with the Ekka in Queensland and now the RAS of NSW Sydney Royal Easter Show where his is an Announcer  (on the Cattle Lawns) and Steward for the Show. Justin also currently sits on the RAS of NSW Youth Group where he has helped run the State and National Young Farmers Championships for the last number of years. Alongside the RAS Youth Group Justin is heavily involved in numerous Agricultural Shows and Events throughout Queensland and New South Wales where for many; he is their Announcer, as well as supporting as a Steward & Official where required and also as the Night Program Show Caller and Arena (Stage) Manager for one show.

Outside of show time you can find Justin working on production crews at events throughout the state, or capturing photographs or taking in a pyrotechnics display.

Sam attended his first Sydney Royal Easter Show at just three months old and hasn’t missed one since. At a local level, Sam and his family are heavily involved in the organisation of the Cootamundra Show. Sam has been a member of the show society since 1995 and at an average Cootamundra Show can be seen helping administer the Group Finals of the Young Judges program, showing cattle, on the microphone in the main arena or doing odd jobs around the grounds.

In 2012, Sam was National Runner Up in the Beef Cattle Young Judges competition and in 2019 was a NSW Rural Achiever. Sam’s family owns a Hereford Stud and Sam has exhibited or judged at many shows across NSW. In 2022, Sam was invited to judge the RAS Youth Show in the Beef Cattle Section at the 2022 Sydney Royal Easter Show.

Since 2021, Sam has been a part of NSW ASC Next Gen, first as a publicity officer and in 2022 was elected General Vice President and ASA delegate.

Alex is currently Chair of the RNA Future Directions Committee at the Royal Queensland Show (The Ekka). Alex has been attending the Ekka since his family showed Murray Grey cattle in the 80’s. After being involved as a Steward within the Beef Cattle and Young Judges sections since 2003, Alex joined the Future Directions Committee in 2019. Alex has spent more than 15 years in the finance industry with a focus on providing funding for Small to Medium sized businesses. Given his involvement with the Young Judges sections at the Ekka, Alex has a strong commitment in ensuring it remains an opportunity for young Queenslanders to increase their involvement in Agriculture, while providing real education opportunities.

Kelly was awarded the 2021 WA Rural Ambassador award after representing the Wagin Woolorama and Great Southern District in 2020 and 2021. In this time she was a member of the Wagin Agricultural Society Committee and had an honorary position on the Royal Agricultural Society of WA (RASWA) council during her term as the WA Rural Ambassador. She is the president of WA Next Generation group which was formed in 2021, running and promoting Young Farmers Challenges around the state, as well as being a committee member of her local Polocrosse Club, Australian Stock Horse Branch and the Emerging Leaders group. Kelly has recently moved to a new town and looks forward to becoming involved with her new local show.

Jack is the current secretary and treasurer for the WA Next Generation group and works for the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia

He has a great passion for youth development in managing the Young Judges and Rural Ambassador programs in Western Australia as part of his role as competition and event coordinator.

McKinley is Competitions Manager at the Royal Agricultural Society of Tasmania. She runs the Royal Hobart Show’s Equestrian and Stud Sheep sections. Growing up in the idyllic, rural Derwent Valley, she was drawn to study agriculture because of the opportunities in the sector, and a conviction she wanted to support rural Tasmania.

McKinley has been part of the RAST team for nearly two years. She believes agricultural shows are integral to what it means to be part of a rural community, and young people should be encouraged to play a role in ensuring the show movement continues as a strong and vibrant contributor to the social and economic fabric of local communities. That’s why she is working to establish an emerging leaders working group so we can ensure the future for showing in Tasmania.

Rachael has always loved attending Agricultural shows, and grew up in rural New Zealand, before moving to Australia as an adult. She loves that an AgShows brings together the city and country and is currently working for the Central Australian Show Society, which organises the Alice Springs Show in July and the Alice Springs Christmas Show late November.