When GippsDairy was formed in 1996, it began with a big task - to help bring together the needs, ideas and ambitions of one of Australia’s most important dairy regions.
The first office was modest - a room in the back shed at Ellinbank Research Farm. But the ambition was not.
GippsDairy was created to give Gippsland dairy farmers a stronger voice in research, development and extension, and to make sure regional priorities were not lost in state or national decision-making.
It was the second Regional Development Program to be formed in Victoria, following WestVic Dairy, and from the beginning it had a clear purpose: to connect the people, knowledge and resources needed to strengthen the Gippsland dairy industry.
The first GippsDairy board met with executive officer Sandra Jefford in January 1996. An interim committee had already spent time considering the board’s role, mission and membership, with board members sought to represent UDV District Councils in Gippsland, the UDV Gippsland Research Committee, government research and extension, dairy manufacturing companies, education providers and independent industry representatives.
It was a practical structure for a practical industry. Farmers, processors, service providers, researchers and educators all had a stake in the future of Gippsland dairy. GippsDairy’s role was to bring those voices together and turn regional needs into action.
Built through consultation
One of the first things the new board did was listen.
In 1996, about 300 people attended consultative meetings across Gippsland, from Traralgon, Warragul, Maffra and Yarram to Poowong, Leongatha, Kongwak, Foster, Denison, Trafalgar, Bunyip and Gruyere. The aim was not simply to tell farmers what GippsDairy would do, but to ask what mattered to them.
Those conversations shaped the first regional development plan. It identified priorities that still feel familiar today: farm business management, labour, access to information, environmental responsibility, animal health, feedbase, farmer confidence, community understanding and industry leadership.
In one sense, it is comforting to see how consistent the themes have been. In another, it is confronting. The pressures have changed, the tools have improved, and the industry has evolved, but the core challenge remains the same: how to help dairy farmers run strong businesses, care for their people and land, and stay confident about the future.
Learning governance while leading an industry
The early years of GippsDairy were also a learning curve for the people around the Board table. Many of the first farmer directors were stepping out of their own farm businesses and into formal governance roles for the first time.
They were not only helping shape programs for dairy farmers across Gippsland; they were learning what it meant to govern an organisation, manage priorities, assess projects and make decisions on behalf of a broader industry.
That experience became part of GippsDairy’s wider legacy.
The skills developed through the board - governance, strategy, communication, financial oversight and leadership - did not stay within GippsDairy. Many directors carried those skills into other roles, including sporting clubs, community organisations and other boards.
In that way, GippsDairy helped build more than industry programs. It helped build regional leaders.
Remembering the first Chair
The first chair of GippsDairy was Don Campbell, a Yannathan dairy farmer remembered for his passion for investing in young people and the future of the dairy industry. Don made it work, balancing the needs of his farm business, home renovations and leading a new organisation.
Don was tragically killed in a car accident in 1998. Don’s contribution has remained part of GippsDairy’s story, particularly through the Don Campbell Memorial Study Tour, which has continued to inspire young dairy farmers to look beyond their own farm gate and see new possibilities for their future in the industry.
A roll call of leadership
Across 30 years, GippsDairy has been shaped by many chairs, deputy chairs, executive officers, directors, staff, project contractors, service providers and farmer contributors.
Based on incomplete records (corrections welcomed), the chair role has been held by Don Campbell, Peter Hanrahan, Ron Paynter, Ian Cougle, Tyran Jones, John Versteden, Matt Gleeson, Graeme Nicoll, Grant Williams, Lauren Finger and Sarah O’Brien.
Deputy chairs have included Rasa Bennett, Carol Bradshaw, John Hutchison, Tyran Jones, Malcolm Sellen, Neil Walker, John Versteden, Matt Gleeson, Graeme Nicoll, Grant Williams, Lauren Finger, Shiona Berry, Sarah O’Brien and Ken Lawrence.
Executive leadership has included Sandra Jefford, Dr Danielle Auldist, Maree MacPherson, Allan Cameron and Karen McLennan.
From a shed to a regional presence
The physical home of GippsDairy also tells a story of growth. After beginning in a room that was part of a back shed at Ellinbank Research Farm, GippsDairy moved after about 18 months to the McMillan campus, now Community College Gippsland, in Warragul.
The organisation remained there until 2016, moving through a few different spaces over that time, before relocating to its current office at 6 Endeavour Street, Warragul.
The location changed, but the role remained grounded in the same idea: being close enough to farmers to understand what was happening on the ground, while connected enough to industry, government and research partners to influence what happened next.
Adapting with the industry
The dairy industry around GippsDairy has changed significantly since 1996. Dairy Australia was formed in 2003 through the merger of the Australian Dairy Corporation and the Dairy Research and Development Corporation. GippsDairy continued as one of eight Regional Development Programs across Australia, working closely with Dairy Australia while maintaining its regional focus.
Funding, programs and priorities have shifted over time. Some years brought strong leverage and major external project funding; other years required tighter focus. In 2009–10, for example, GippsDairy used $535,000 from Dairy Australia to help deliver projects into Gippsland valued at more than $4.9 million, supported by funding from organisations including the National Landcare Program, Sustainability Victoria, Gardiner Foundation, catchment management authorities, DPI, the University of Melbourne and Dairy Australia.
In 2016, another major change came with the establishment of a dairy extension team, following the transition of extension delivery from Agriculture Victoria to Victoria’s Regional Development Programs.
By 2016–17, GippsDairy’s team included regional extension, communications and project staff, reflecting the organisation’s expanded role in delivering practical, regionally relevant support.
The work that shaped a region
Across three decades, GippsDairy’s work has reached into almost every part of the dairy industry.
It has supported farm business management, Focus Farms, Young Dairy, workforce development, discussion groups, drought response, flood and fire recovery, environmental stewardship, mastitis and animal health programs, careers promotion, school engagement, leadership tours, women’s networks, major events and strategic planning.
It has helped turn farmer feedback into practical support. It has given young people pathways into the industry. It has helped farmers access information in difficult seasons. It has supported leadership, built networks and given Gippsland a stronger voice in state and national conversations.
In more recent years, that role has continued to evolve. GippsDairy remains governed by a Board made up of farmer directors, specialist directors and the Executive Officer, with directors appointed for three-year terms and able to serve a maximum of three terms.
The scale of the industry it serves is still significant. In 2024-25, Gippsland included 917 dairy farms, around 299,000 cows, 1,930 million litres of milk, around 6,200 people employed in dairy farming and processing, and a farmgate milk value of around $1.3 billion.
A 30-year contribution
The story of GippsDairy is not only the story of an organisation. It is the story of the people who have kept saying yes to the work of building an industry.
The farmers who left their own farms to sit around board tables.
The chairs who carried the weight of leadership alongside family and business responsibilities.
The executive officers and staff who turned ideas into programs.
The project contractors, consultants and service providers who brought specialist knowledge.
The farmers who hosted events, joined committees, opened their businesses, shared their numbers, asked hard questions and helped others learn.
Thirty years on, GippsDairy’s origin story still explains its purpose today. It was created because Gippsland dairy needed a regional voice, a practical connector and a trusted way to turn farmer priorities into action.
That work has never belonged to one person. It has been carried by many hands, across many seasons, through difficult years and good ones.
And that may be the most important achievement of all: GippsDairy has helped build an industry culture where leadership is shared, knowledge is practical, and the future of Gippsland dairy is something farmers continue to shape for themselves.
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