THE Eyre Peninsula region has produced its second SA Rural Ambassador Award winner in the past three years, with Courtney Ramsey named the 2013 recipient on Tuesday night.
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The 27 year old, representing the Kimba Show, said it was an enormous honour to win the award and become the ambassador for country shows in SA.
She was one of nine finalists from across the state who received a 'behind the scenes' look at the Royal Adelaide Show - the state's largest annual event - over four days.
Courtney has been part of a recent injection of youth into the Kimba AH&F Show and is the convener of the Young Farmer Challenge and steward in the Junior Art competition.
Shows have been a major part of her life, from running a stall selling homemade goods as a seven-year-old to exhibiting in many indoor section classes.
"Shows are one of the few opportunities for people in rural communities to display and celebrate the vast array of talents they hold, a true representation of people's interests," she said.
"From horse riding and shearing to farm inventions and needlework, there is something for everyone at a local show and the contents are a great sampling plate of all the wonderful things rural life has to offer."
Courtney has a Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Science) with Honours and worked as a herbicide tolerance research officer with SARDI for three years.
In 2011 she returned home to work on the family sheep and cereal property at Buckleboo and is relishing the challenge of farming. "Agriculture is such an exciting and innovative career and there are so many opportunities," she said.
Her prize includes a $5000 scholarship from the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of SA Education Foundation.
The two runners-up Edward Scott, Middleton, representing southern and Chelsea Dahlenburg, Naracoorte, representing the South East & Border Districts each received $1000. Edward works for Injekta Soil Research and is treasurer of the SA Next Generation Group while Chelsea is an agriculture teacher at Naracoorte High School.
All three will travel to New Zealand in 2014 on a two week study tour as their major prize.
Ag Societies Council of SA chairman Keith Colyer said the program had been running for 16 years and had produced many good people taking on roles in the show movement and their local communities.
"We have nine rural people here who will develop and have developed into leaders of our SA communities and shows - perhaps some will go into politics some into business but they are nine polished leaders," he said.
* Full report in Stock Journal, September 12 issue, 2013.
