General News
26 February, 2025
Cobden A.B. welcomes female chair
COBDEN Artificial Breeders (A.B.) have welcomed a female chair to their committee for the first time, as well as a number of new staff members to improve upon their current service promise.
Committee chair Linda Whiting said her new position has been challenging, but good overall.
“I’m a pretty modest person,” she said.
“I’m proud to be able to do this.
“My father actually worked here from 1962 to around 1982, so this is a good thing for me.
“I did work here for a little while as well, for a year back in the ‘90s, so I have been in the business for a long time.”
Mrs Whiting is the first female chair of Cobden A.B. since the business was formed 65 years ago, which she pointed out through a committee history booklet outlining all the previous chairs.
“I've been on the board for about 13 years,” she said.
“Having worked in the industry too helps a bit because you have a bit of background knowledge of generally what happens and how things run.
“I come from a farming background and use Cobden A.B. myself.
“It’s good we’ve been able to recruit people, who are all local, as well.”
Cobden A.B. have recruited two new staff members, Phil McLauchlan and Nathan Mugavin, as well as a new manager, Paul Hewitt.
“There’s a real transition at the moment and Linda’s come in and done a really good job of steering through that alongside our committee,” Mr Hewitt said.
“We could be doing things more efficiently than what we have been.
“We’re making sure that we're still relevant, adopting best practice where we can, coming in with a fresh set of eyes, looking where we can make improvements and where we can keep things the same.
“Cobden A.B. has always been known for its service to farmers and we have to maintain that.
“The business was created by farmers – run by farmers, for farmers – and that’s still our number one goal.”
Mr Hewitt said he wanted to reassure users of Cobden A.B.’s services they’re still committed to their promise of high quality.
“We've got a new chair, we've got a new manager, we've got new staff,” he said.
“We’re all very committed to continue to service south west Victoria and our farmers and members to the best of our abilities.
“Also, because we’re a cooperative as opposed to a privately-owned company, we’re not out to make a profit.
“Any profit we make goes back to the farmers.
“We’re happy to run that and make sure we cover our costs and break even.”
Mrs Whiting said she and the committee are there for farmers who need support.
“The board and myself are there as representatives for the farmers so if they want to contact us, we’re there and available to talk to,” she said.
Representatives of Cobden A.B. will be available to talk to at the Heytesbury Agricultural Show on Saturday, March 1 for any interested farmers.
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