Board: Alex Campbell AM

Alex spent his childhood on Lake Violet, an isolated sheep station east of Wiluna in WA, before completing his schooling at Christ Church Grammar School in Perth. He commenced his farming career at Kulin in the WA wheatbelt, before being allocated a virgin mallee block at Borden.  After fully developing the land with wife Jenn, they moved to Narrikup, a mixed farming area to the north of Albany.

Alex represented the farm sector at State and National level, firstly as State President of the WA Farmers Federation and serving on the National Farmers Federation executive, then through a number of Landcare and research related organisations. His greatest contribution was in dryland salinity, chairing the National Dryland Salinity Program, WA State Salinity Council and the Co-operative Research Centre for Salinity.

Alex retired to Perth in 2013, but has retained an interest in agriculture, with his daughter farming at Dandaragan on WA’s west coast, and son managing sheep stations in the Riverina region of NSW. He was awarded an AM and an Hon Doc Sc in Ag from UWA, in recognition of his services to agriculture and the environment.

AWARDS

2003  Centenary Medal

2007  Life Member, WA Farmers Federation

2009  Hon Doc Science in Agriculture, UWA

2011  Member of the General Division of Australian Honours (AM)

PUBLICATIONS

2017   ‘Of Sheep And Other Things’ – A farming odyssey of the Campbells in Australia 1846 – 2013

COMMUNITY

1969–present:  Member, WA Farmers Federation (WAFF)

1989–92  State Vice President, WAFF and NFF Executive

1992–95  State President, WAFF and NFF Executive

1989–95  Director, Greening Australia (WA 1989–91, National 1992–95)

1992–95  Director, Landcare Australia Ltd

1992–96  Member, CSIRO Institute of Natural Resources & Environment Advisory Committee

1995  Chair, State Landcare Review  (WA)

1995  Chair, Farm Forestry Taskforce
  (WA)

1996–97  Director, Water and Rivers Commission  (WA)

1996–2001  Chair, Land and Water Australia (formerly LWRRDC)

1996–2001  Chair, National Dryland Salinity Program

1996–2009  Joint Venture Agroforestry Program, (Chair 1996–2001and 2008-09)

1997–2001  Director, National Land and Water Resources Audit – Champion, Salinity Theme

1997–2001  Chair, WA State Salinity Council

1997–2005  Chair, WA State Assessment Panel for the NHT, and then the Envirofund

2001–2007  Chair, Co-operative Research Centre – Salinity  (UWA)

2001–2013  Member, UWA Albany Foundation (Chair 2007–2013)

2008–2013  Director, Rural Industries R&D Corporation

2008–2013  Chair, South Coast NRM

2015- 2017  Member, Assessment Panel: Rural R&D For Profit (Canberra)

2018 – Present:  Chair, WA Committee,  The Crawford Fund (International Rural Research)