Luke Cantrill was on Australia Day awarded the Borenore-Nashdale Citizen of the Year award.
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Mr Cantrill completed his schooling at Nashdale and after leaving secondary school took an electrical apprenticeship in Orange and has worked as a qualified electrician and held a position with TAFE NSW as an Assistant Investment Program Manager before he was drawn back to the area via a Nuffield Scholarship application success.
He returned to the family cherry growing tradition and is evolving the exporting side of the business and the cherry industry as a whole.
There are emerging 'second tier' markets in China, which hold great potential for Australian growers, and he wants to evaluate access pathways and opportunities into these markets.
The $30,000 Nuffield Farming Scholarship for 2020 will help Mr Cantrill in those endeavours, and he'll spend six weeks touring Chile, Argentina, the USA, Canada, Spain and Italy with a group of 12 international farmers to learn from leading producers in those countries.
He will then spend up to eight weeks on a self-guided trip to China, the USA and Europe, researching the drivers of success in; horticulture and viticulture businesses, international production systems, export opportunities and the cold chain.
Mr Cantrill wasn't the only resident honoured at the ceremony either, with Cabonne Councillor Libby Oldham presenting Sophia Redanbach with the Young Citizen of the Year award.
Miss Redanbach, from Borenore, is a national and state horse riding champion.
The Nashdale Sports Social Club was awarded the organisation of the year.
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