2010 Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Awards

Prime Super Regional Manager, Rod Stewart, Prime Super Innovator of the Year Winner, Ross Hubbard of “Sustained Ag Global” (Narrabri), and Prime Super Regional Manager, Scott Boyle.

Over 100 people from a broad range of backgrounds and locations around the New England North West region of NSW gathered at the Inverell RSM Club on Saturday night for the 2010 Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Awards. The Awards are run by Regional Development Australia Northern Inland (RDANI) and sponsored by Australia’s largest rural and regional superannuation company, Prime Super.

The 2010 Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation of the Year Award went to “AgLine Distributors” of Narrabri (now named “Sustained Ag Global”), for the patented Moisture Manager Planter. The Moisture Manager Planter’s unique parallelogram design allows for it to be used as a disc or tyne machine. Many disc openers cannot optimally handle the conditions when it rains on rich black soil during seeding. Then, a tyne planter would work better. Either disc or tyne apparatus can be fitted to the Moisture Manager Planter without spanners. The multipurpose functionality of this planter or cultivator represents a groundbreaking innovation. The Moisture Manager Planter offers new levels of precision, effectiveness and efficiency for cropping industries. According to the man behind the Precision Moisture Manager Planter, Managing Director of AgLine Distributors, Ross Hubbard, the key to succeeding through innovation is passion.
 

RDANI Deputy Chair, Herman Beyersdorf said that the Awards really showed how innovative and progressive Northern Inland NSW businesses, organisations and individuals are. “Regional Development Australia Northern Inland is proud of the diversity and quality in the entries in the 2010 Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Awards. We had 49 entries, across the five categories,” he said.

The 2010 Prime Super Northern Inland Innovation Award Category Winners were:
 

• Agriculture / Horticulture and associated services - “AgLine Distributors” of Narrabri (now “Sustained Ag Global”).
• Tourism / Leisure and services - “The Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum at Werris Creek.”
• Professional and Retail services - “Computer Bank New England” in Uralla, Armidale and Inverell.
• Manufacturing and Engineering - “Trethewey Industries” of Deepwater
• Research and Education – won by “The North West Advisory Group” of Narrabri.

For further comment from the Prime Super Northern Inland Innovator of the Year, Ross Hubbard, call: 6792 1988.
 

Prime Super Innovator of the Year Winner, Ross Hubbard of “Sustained Ag Global” (formerly AgLine Distributors), with Prime Super Regional Manager, Scott Boyle.

Prime Super Regional Manager, Scott Boyle presenting a trophy to Edward Evans of Inverell. His ‘Swing Gate’ innovation earned a finalist placing in the Agriculture / Horticulture and associated services category.

Prime Super Regional Manager, Scott Boyle presenting an Agriculture / Horticulture and associated services category finalist trophy to Cameron O’Phee from ICT International, Armidale.

Inverell Shire Council Mayor, Cr. Barry Johnston presenting to Chris Holley from the Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journey’s Museum – winner of the Tourism / Leisure and Related Services Category.

Northern Inland Innovation Awards MC, Jennifer Ingall from ABC Radio New England North West talking on stage to Graham Manvell (SSS BBQ Barns), a finalist in the Tourism / Leisure and Related Services Category.

Inverell Shire Council Mayor, Cr. Barry Johnston presented the Tourism / Leisure and Related Services Encouragement Award to Rose Higgins from Bundarra’a Commercial Hotel.

AusIndustry’s Regional Manager for Northern and Central NSW, Tim Cotter with Caroline and Robert Patterson, representing winners of the Professional and Retail Services Category, Computer Bank New England, Uralla, Armidale and Inverell

AusIndustry’s Regional Manager for Northern and Central NSW, Tim Cotter with Tammy Bush from Gunida Gunyah, a finalist in the Professional and Retail Services Category.

AusIndustry’s Regional Manager for Northern and Central NSW, Tim Cotter presented Armidale’s Kylie Mitchell Designs with finalist’s trophy in the Professional and Retail Services Category, for Kylie’s Micro Art House design.

AusIndustry’s Regional Manager for Northern and Central NSW, Tim Cotter presented Kelly Foran with an Encouragement Award in the Professional and Retail Services Category for her ‘Friendly Faces, Helping Hands’ website.

Gordon Cope, Creative Director of TRAMS (Armidale), the 2009 Innovation of the Year, gave a speech about the encouragement the award provided.

Gunnedah Shire Mayor, Cr. Adam Marshall presenting to Manufacturing and Engineering Category winner, Reg Trethewey from “Trethewey Industries” of Deepwater.

Gunnedah Shire Mayor, Cr. Adam Marshall with Manufacturing and Engineering Category Encouragement Award recipient, Robyn Faber from Faber Toolboxes, the face of Ray Faber Sheetmetal of Narrabri.

RDANI Deputy Chair, Herman Beyersdorf with Russell Stewart, representing the winner of the Research and Education Category, “The North West Advisory Group” and its Make it Work project.

RDANI Deputy Chair, Herman Beyersdorf with Grant Bowden, representing “TAFE NSW New England Institute – Tamworth Campus”, a finalist in the Research and Education Category.

The New England Girls’ School was a finalist in the Research and Education Category for the “Groove and Grow” Sensory Gym. NEGS’ Ann Ward accepted the finalist trophy from RDANI Deputy Chair, Herman Beyersdorf.

RDANI Deputy Chair, Herman Beyersdorf presented an Encouragement Award to Julie Collins from TAFE New England Institute in the Research and Education Category for a new approach towards education in fitness and general community health in Lightning Ridge.

Geoff and Rose Higgins from Bundarra’a Commercial Hotel, which received an encouragement Award in the Tourism / Leisure and Related Services Category for heritage preservation and community initiatives.

Dr Robert Mensah, a Principal Scientist with the Cotton CRC in Narrabri, received an Encouragement Award in the Agriculture / Horticulture and Associated Services category. He is pictured with RDANI Executive Officer, Nathan Axelsson.

Uralla’s Phoenix Foundry Chief Financial Officer, Monicka Baird and her husband, David. The Phoenix Foundry was a finalist in the Manufacturing and Engineering Category.

Volunteers from Computer Bank New England, Uralla, Armidale and Inverell, which won the Professional and Retail Services Category.

Guest Speaker, Patrick Mooney from Commercialisation Australia; Prime Super Innovator of the Year Winner, Ross Hubbard of “Sustained Ag Global” (Narrabri), and AusIndustry’s Regional Manager for Northern and Central NSW, Tim Cotter.

Chris & Bev Holley representing the Australian Railway Monument and Rail Journeys Museum, Werris Creek

Narrabri winners…Winner of the Research and Education Category, The North West Advisory Group’s Make it Work Development Officer, Russell Stewart; Dr Robert Mensah, a Principal Scientist with the Cotton CRC in Narrabri, received an Encouragement Award in the Agriculture / Horticulture and Associated Services category; Prime Super Innovator of the Year Winner, Ross Hubbard of “Sustained Ag Global” (formerly known as AgLine Distributors); Manufacturing and Engineering Category Encouragement Award recipient, Robyn Faber from Faber Toolboxes and Kelly Foran, who received an Encouragement Award in the Professional and Retail Services Category for her ‘Friendly Faces, Helping Hands’ website.

AgriFood Skills Australia’s Niel Jacobsen with Russell Stewart, the North West Advisory Group’s Make it Work Development Manager.

Gunnedah Shire Mayor, Cr. Adam Marshall with Manufacturing and Engineering Category finalist, Stuart Webb from “Matrix Key Systems” of Tenterfield.