Cattle baron’s big gift
AFTER more than 50 years in the cattle industry, Sir Graham McCamley has turned the page on another chapter.
In May, the Rural Weekly reported Sir Graham would be donating all proceeds of his Tartrus brahman stud genetics to charity.
The sale raised $139,000 in total with 40 per cent of funds going to the Lady McCamley Memorial Foundation, which he set up in memory of his late wife Shirley.
Last week the 84-year-old cattle baron handed over a cheque of nearly $76,000 to Lifeline, which took 60 per cent of the auction proceeds.
A livestream of the announcement was shared
online, with many describing Sir Graham as a wonderful man. At the official handover, Sir Graham said donating to the organisation was an easy decision to make.
“It’s time to recognise the great work Lifeline does,” he said.
“I decided to give all of this money to them and the Lady McCamley Foundation because it’s to make sure people understand how important I think their work is.
“In rural Australia people suffer from time to time from different things.”
Sir Graham said the organisation does great work with rural and remote communities.
He said it meant the world to him to donate the funds raised via the foundation he set up in memory of his wife, who died in 2010 in an ultralight plane crash.
“Shirley was always at my side for our fifty-plus years at Tartrus and was instrumental in the success of our commercial and stud operations,” he said.
“She was very supportive of a number of charities and would be delighted that we were able to assist Lifeline in their wonderful efforts in delivering such a valuable service to all Australians.
“To save one persons life is important, if we can save 100 that’d be great but we can save thousands if we pull together.”
While the sale raised large funds for help in outback Australia, Sir Graham said it was a bittersweet day.
“It’s winding up what was a famous stud, so for me it’s sad to see it all gone,” he said.
“My daughter Jacqui bought some of the semen to keep the stud going on, so I know eventually the Tartrus cattle will live on.”
Lifeline state-wide manager Lee-Anne Borham accepted the cheque on behalf of the organisation.
“Words cannot convey how appreciative we are of the donation,” she said.
“These funds will be used rurally and remotely to support people who are in crisis.”
The sale had more than 8000 straws on offer.