28 February 2023. By AgForce CEO Michael Guerin.
There’s a reason why wolves hunt in packs – they know that by working together they get the job done.
They’re not alone in their M.O. Chimpanzees, dolphins, and lions, to name but a few, all join forces when the time comes to achieve a common goal.
Believe it or not, humans are pack animals too.
We hunt, travel, and eat in groups. We congregate. We choose leaders we consider strong. We follow. We are pack animals.
The consortium bid for Longreach Pastoral College is the perfect example of how solidarity in numbers can lead to success.
In a huge step for industry, nine prominent pastoral holdings (ACC, Cleveland Agriculture, CPC, Curr Family, Georgina Pastoral Company, Hewitt Cattle Australia, MDH, Mort & Co, and NAPCO) have pledged their financial support for the bid, being put together by the AAM Investment Group.
Together they have created a once in a lifetime opportunity to restore the college to its former glory as a teaching facility Queensland can be proud of.
But that’s not all.
This one in a million chance wouldn’t have been possible without the backing of our rural and regional communities.
An astonishing 3,300 letters of support for this proposal have been received by the State Government, who will now consider the bid and, fingers crossed, turn the dream into a reality.
In addition, if the sale is successful, AgForce will propose that our joint training venture with Response is adopted by the college to deliver a modern approach to ag education.
When Longreach Pastoral College closed in 2019, it left a gaping hole in the State’s capacity to develop the skills of the workforce required by Australia’s thriving farm sector, and took away part of the lifeblood of the community.
The time has come to restore what was lost.
The time has come to collectively rejuvenate Longreach Pastoral College, to enable it to become a trustworthy, viable, and intergenerational learning centre for centuries to come.
Together we stand, divided we fall. I know which one I’m choosing.