Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Health, Aged Care and Indigenous Health Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In Tasmania, we recently lost a legend in the Australian dairy industry with the passing of John Bennett AM. The Ashgrove Farms and Ashgrove Cheese co-founder was instrumental in shaping the modern dairy industry as we know it today.

In the early nineties, with unemployment high and the Tasmanian dairy farmer pay the worst in the world, his family risked everything to stay on the land. His decision to vertically integrate his dairy operation into a paddock-to-plate business model was visionary. It was an idea unheard of at the time. In 2017, John was awarded the Rural Australian Farming Legend of the Year, recognising his visionary leadership, courage and lifetime contribution to the Australian dairy industry.

From a personal perspective, John was an important role model for me. He was always gracious in the delivery of his time and generously shared his wealth of knowledge about the industry and his vision for a better future. I'll always cherish his enormous strength of character and the ability that he gave me when I needed it most. I extend my deepest sympathies to John's wife, Connie, and the entire Bennett family. Vale, John Bennett AM.