Former Richmond High student Shannon Lawlor will leave for the wide plains of North America next week to study the American and Canadian beef industries as part of an award he won last year.
He was presented with the the Matthew George Young Stockman Award at last year’s Royal Melbourne Show.
The award gives young breeders aged 18 to 25 the opportunity to travel overseas to inspect cattle and beef operations to bring back their knowledge to Australia.
The award is named after a young stockman who died age 21 and so wasn’t able to fulfil his own dream of doing the same. Mr Lawlor will travel across North America and Canada in the northern hemisphere summer so he can see the cattle on grass rather than in barns for winter.
His passion for cattle breeding started when he was 10 years old, carrying through to university where he gained a Bachelor of Science and Agriculture from the University of Sydney.
He has set up a Facebook page which he will continually update so people can follow his travels — Shannon’s North American Journey.
Mr Lawlor owns and operates Ausbred Black Simmentals and is researching possible venues to visit when he leaves on June 22.