At the Northam Australian Championships in 2025, I was honoured to be elected as the Australian President. I am hoping to continue the great work of the presidents before me and to be able to represent the Australian members with honesty and approachability.

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I’m a fourth-generation farmer at Clements Gap on the York Peninsula, South Australia. I farm wheat, barley, lentils and run sheep in summer. I crop 3000 hectares with the help of my wife Susan and son Justin. I am currently SA President and have held the position since 2019 and have trialled for many years.

I was introduced to trialling after seeing Reg Michael running a demonstration at a small local town called Wokurna in 1988. I approached Reg enquiring about a pup as I thought that it looked like fun. He had a litter of pups at the time sired by Sorrego Joe, that was my first dog called Percyton Flo Jo that ended up being SA Champion three times.

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My first trial was in 1989 and I continued until about 2004 where I stopped trialling because of following my children’s sporting lives. In 2015 I was given a pup by Neil and Lyn Sambell from Victoria, his bloodlines went back to Byn Dinning’s breeding. The dog, Oakdowns Byn, showed great potential which lured me back to the sport. He has won two SA State titles and qualified for the Australian team in Dalby.

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I was mentored by many great trailers, notably George and Lew Noble, Byn Dinning, Reg Michael and many others. My biggest lesson learnt was to listen to everyone, because not every dog or every handler is the same, and what works for one doesn’t mean it will work for another.

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Trialling for me is not just about the competition, it’s about the places we visit, the people we meet and the long-term friends we make.