Rural Media Awards Announced

South Australia’s rural journalists and photographers were recognised today with the announcement of the Telstra Rural Media Awards.

ABC journalist Kerry Staight and Advertiser photographer Tricia Watkinson were this year’s Telstra Rural Journalist and Photographer of the Year award winners.

Prize money and trophies exceeding $5,000 were presented to the category and overall award winners by Mark Bolton, Area General Manager, Telstra.

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SA finalists celebrated in prestigious national rural broadcasting award

Three local journalists are in the running to win the Rabobank Australian Star Prize for Rural Broadcasting and represent Australia in a prestigious international competition for excellence in reporting on issues related to agriculture.

South Australian finalists in the Australian competition were celebrated today in Adelaide at a gathering of Rural Media South Australia, the State’s press club for people interested in rural issues.

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Fire photo a national winner for Mark

Two South Australians have been honoured in a prestigious national award program celebrating rural Australia, announced in Sydney today.

The Advertiser’s Mark Brake has won the category for nature and landscape photography in the Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography, and will now represent Australia in a major international competition. Tait Schmaal, from the same newspaper, was awarded a highly commended in the category for photos relating to farm production.

The prestigious award is organized by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ), the umbrella body for Australia’s five rural press clubs, including Rural Media South Australia (RMSA).

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Tiser cleans up in Telstra Awards for 2010

Advertiser journalist and Rural Editor, Nigel Austin and photographer, Tait Schmaal were awarded South Australia's Best Rural Journalist and Photographer at the recent 2010 Telstra Rural Media Awards.

Telstra National Sales Manager, Michael McGlashan (pictured left) presented trophies and cheques for $5,000 in prize money to the top performers. Nigel and Tait are also pictured with RMSA president Ian Doyle.

This is the second time the pair has been recognised for their
excellence in producing work of the highest calibre.

"I'm delighted that two such fitting recipients have again been awarded the top gongs," Mr McGlashan said.
"It's fitting that we also pay tribute to the role local media play in bringing issues of rural importance to the fore," he continued.

"Over the last 12 months, both Nigel and Tait have highlighted a broad range of rural issues impacting local communities.
They've demonstrated a commitment to quality work, across a variety of media."

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Dick James inducted as a Rural Media Icon

Rural Media 2010 Icon Dick James (centre) receives his award from Ian Doyle and Dale Manson.

Former Stock Journal editor Dick James has been inducted as the 2010 Rural Media Icon.

Dick started with the Stock Journal in January 1954. At that time the publication was known as the Adelaide Stock & Station Journal. Dick was appointed editor of the Stock Journal in 1976 and was managing editor from 1985-1987. In 1998 he decided to take a short break, but was invited back by the Stock Journal proprietors to take over as livestock editor. Dick relinquished that role in late 2001 to provide an upgrade for a younger man.

Dick remained a working journalist until his retirement in July 2003, but is still employed by the Stock Journal as a casual journalist.

Dick James has won several journalism awards, having entered livestock feature articles in both the National Australia Bank and Telstra awards.

Because of Dick's obvious specialisation in livestock reporting as a rural journalist, he has been asked to judge both stud and commercial stock over the years, as well as open several of the major stud sales in SA. Recently he was invited to select the Blue Ribbon pen at the mammoth Lameroo off-shears sale.

Dick also served as Executive officer of Merinos SA for quite a number of years.

As part of his induction as a Rural Media Icon, Dick was presented with a framed parchment and an engraved hand-made RM Williams Condamine Bell. The bell was coupled to a brass buckled leather strap hand-made by a true South Australian craftsman saddler with a lifetime in the industry.

Both the Condamine Bell and the hand-made leather strap were appropriate iconic images of rural Australia, for a true Rural Media Icon.

RMSA member wins international award

In a major coup for Australian rural broadcasting, local journalist Kerry Staight from ABC Landline has won the inaugural IFAJ Star Prize for Agricultural Broadcasting, announced this week in Belgium.

Her international success against finalists from five continents was celebrated on Friday at a Rural Media South Australia lunch featuring Kerry O'Brien, from the ABC's 7.30 Report.

Rabobank State manager James Robinson was also on hand to present her with a certificate commemorating her win in the television category of the Australian Star Prize for Rural Broadcasting, sponsored by Rabobank. He presented an encouragement award to RMSA president Ian Doyle who contested the national online video category.

Kerry Staight was named overall winner at the international level after taking out the television category of the IFAJ awards with a story about succession planning on family farms.

Former South Australian ABC rural reporter, Sarina Locke, now based in Canberra, won the radio category with a documentary about her visit to West Timor, following in the footsteps of her mother who worked there 15 years ago on an Australian-funded program to control exotic animal diseases.

The winning entries are available online at www.acaj.org.au

More details about the awards are available at www.ifaj.org

RMSA Honours Bob Snewin with Honorary Life Membership

Honorary Life Membership recipient, Bob Snewin (middle) with fellow RMSA Hon Life Members, Ian Doyle (left) and Bruce Mitchell (right)

Rural Media South Australia recently honoured its long serving Secretary/Treasurer, Bob Snewin with Honorary Life Membership of the organisation.  Bob joins Jim McCarter, Bruce Mitchell and Ian Doyle as only the fourth person in RMSA’s forty year history to receive this honour.

Bob Snewin’s initial involvement with RMSA was over twenty years ago while he was State Manager of the Australian Dairy Corporation.  He realised the invaluable role RMSA could play in influencing community attitudes toward the primary industry sector and in enhancing the flow of high level information back to people working in rural areas.

In a record for RMSA, Bob Snewin has served in the role of Secretary/Treasurer for well over a decade, including providing expert advice on the overall governance of the organisation.  He continues in this role.

Australian journalists urged to enter new award - Sustainable agriculture and food production shortages key themes

At a time when the Australian media are reporting extensively on the impact of floods and drought on farming and food production, a new international award has been launched to honour excellence in journalism related to these issues.

Members of Australia’s five rural press clubs are eligible to enter through their affiliation with the IFAJ’s national counterpart, the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists.

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IFAJ Newsletter, January 2011
Experience new world agriculture (in Canada)

We are pleased to announce that we are officially open for business!

On January 15, we launched the registration process for the upcoming Canadian IFAJ congress. You can now register by visiting our website at www.ifaj2011.com.

In this newsletter we aim to give you all of the details on how to register for the upcoming event which begins on September 14, 2011.
We know that travelling to foreign countries can sometimes be confusing so we’re eager to try and make your trip as easy as possible.

We look forward to hosting you soon!

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Expanded rural media awards
search for best in the bush

Three major national awards for journalists and photographers covering rural issues have been announced today by the Australian Council for Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ).

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RMSA honours Jon Lamb

Having spent a lifetime in the media, veteran journalist Jon Lamb was honoured by Rural Media South Australia at its 22 October function.

He was inducted as the RMSA's second Rural Media Icon.

Win IFAJ Canada Congress registration

The Alltech Young Leaders in Rural Journalism Award is being offered by Alltech in conjunction with the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ) and rural media clubs around Australia.

Download the brochure

Mark Brake wins top national photo award.

Advertiser Newspaper photographer Mark Brake has won the Nature category of the 2010 Australian Star Prize for Rural Photography.

The competition organised by the Australian Council of Agricultural Journalists (ACAJ) recognises the best photographers from around the country each year.

The winning photo is of a burn off in the Adelaide Hills.

Tait Schmaal was highly commended for his goat photograph in the Production category of the Award. Tait took the photograph for the Adelaide Advertiser.