Life Membership: Stan & Lynn Tompkins

22 Mar 2023

Life Membership – Stan and Lyn Tompkins

Since the inception of the DSBS, there have been many people who have selflessly given of their time, knowledge, and skill to promote the Droughtmaster breed, and to support and mentor fellow members. Stan and Lyn Tompkins’ commitment to the Breed and its members has transcended several decades.

 Stan and Lyn Tompkins joined the DSBS in 1982 and operated their highly successful stud, Cedar View Droughtmasters at Gympie for 40 years. They were, and remain, passionate about the Breed and would promote Droughtmaster at every opportunity.

 Stan and Lyn devoted their lives to helping others, including fellow Droughtmaster members and particularly, young people. For almost four decades, they acted as teachers and mentors to so many members and spoke at countless field days, zone meetings, workshops and handling schools, covering a range of topics, most notably the Droughtmaster Standards of Excellence, selecting animals for show and sale and the preparation of cattle for shows, grooming, and exhibiting.

In 1985, a group of Droughtmaster members were instrumental in establishing a Droughtmaster ‘workshop’ with the Droughtmaster Futurity commencing the following year. The ‘workshop’ evolved to be formally recognised as the Gympie Handling School. Stan and Lyn were keen participants in these events and ultimately became actively involved with the Handling School and were facilitators of the sessions relating to the preparation of cattle for the showring, parading, judging and showring etiquette.

Their support of fellow members, particularly junior members, extended beyond field days and handling schools. Stan and Lyn provided hands-on assistance to members attending their first Futurity, agricultural show, feature show and expo, and would help them at the event by reinforcing what was learnt during formal sessions and providing much needed encouragement to build their confidence.

Stan possessed a comprehensive understanding of the Standards of Excellence and fiercely defended it. He was committed to educating other members about the standards and the importance of compliance. His words, delivered during countless educational sessions and informal discussions, continue to resonate among the members that were fortunate to hear him speak.

Stan was a classifier with the DSBS, a role that he executed with great pride and commitment. Stan assisted many new members to grow their stud herds by classifying and upgrading their commercial Droughtmaster herds.

 Stan was member of the Droughtmaster National Female Sale (NFS) Committee, a role that he held for 36 years.

Stan and Lyn Tompkins have served the Droughtmaster Society and its members for almost four decades and have done so with distinction. They have actively promoted the Droughtmaster Breed and contributed to its growth in Southern Queensland. They have done this through service on formal committees and in formal roles, and informally through their commitment to the education, support, mentoring and development of countless Droughtmaster members during this time. Their enduring contribution to the breed and its members is now recognised through them being awarded Life Membership of the DSBS.

 Congratulations.