David Brook, OAM
OBE Organic Chairman
OBE Organic Chairman David Brook, OAM
David is a founding Director, a shareholder and the Chairman of the OBE Organic group. David and his wife Nell own and operate 30,000 square kilometres (3 million hectares) of certified organic farms in the pristine Channel Country grasslands region of central Australia. Together, they’re proud to have raised six children on their farming properties.
David was born and raised in the iconic Australian outback desert town of Birdsville (population 100 people) and continues to live there to this day. David’s family is a famous part of the history of farming in Australia. His maternal greatgrandparents were married in Birdsville in the late 1880s, and his father Bill Brook purchased their first property, Adria Downs Station, in 1939. In addition to his organic farming operations, David is owner of the world famous Birdsville and Innamincka Hotels. Regardless of the remote location of David’s properties and investments, he is exceptionally widely travelled and takes an active and energetic role in the management and fortunes of OBE Organic around the world.
The vast scale of David and Nell’s business enterprise is enhanced by their operation of two aircraft, a Cessna 182 and Cessna 210. Both hold private pilots licenses, with David having logged over 12,000 hours as a senior pilot. Two of David and Nell’s children are currently involved in the OBE Organic supply chain.
In 2002 David received one of the nation’s highest civilian honours, the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his contribution to the community, local government and the establishment of organic agricultural production. David has been active in local government for over thirty years, and was elected as Mayor of the Diamantina Shire (second largest shire in Queensland) for thirteen consecutive years. He has been a board member of the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame, and in 2009 was elected to the position of Chairman.
In his spare time, David enjoys his passion for breeding and racing thoroughbred racehorses.
Scott Fraser
OBE Organic Director
OBE Organic Director Scott Fraser
Scott is a founding Director and shareholder of the OBE Organic group and heads the group’s organic lamb program. Scott is qualified in Animal Production and Marketing.
Scott’s family has owned their land for over four generations and together with his wife Paula, Scott owns and manages an organic cattle and fat lamb operation. His family property, “Nooyeah Downs” is located 1,100km inland from the east coast of Australia. The property is situated on the Bulloo River catchment and floodplain system in the pristine Channel Country grasslands region. Scott’s 3000 fat lambs and 2000 cattle roam freely over 220,000 acres (890 sq. km) of certified organic land.
Scott’s farm is in a low rainfall area of Australia, receiving just 250 millimeters per annum. This provides perfect climatic conditions for organic livestock production as the low rainfall does not allow disease and pests to thrive. The floodwaters which travel slowly down through the inland river systems of the Channel Country provide nourishment for the organic pastures. The floodwaters across the property can be up to 20 kilometers wide and 30 kilometers long.
In recent years Scott has actively participated in local government and various other council bodies and environmental advisory committees. He held the position of Mayor of the Bulloo Shire Council for ten years. He has recently held a senior position on the board of The Southport School, respected as one of the best private boarding schools in Australia.
The operation of his organic enterprise is enhanced through Scott’s ownership and piloting of a Cessna 182RG aircraft. Scott is credited with over 26 years experience as a bush pilot and more than 3,500 hours flying time navigating the Australian outback. Scott also enjoys water skiing and snow skiing.
Peter Schmidt
OBE Organic Director
OBE Organic Director Peter Schmidt
Peter is a founding Director and shareholder of the OBE Organic group and a specialist in beef cattle, sheep and wool production. He is a Bachelor of Rural Science, a Master of Rural Science, and a Master of Agricultural Studies.
Since the early 1990s he has guided the development of OBE Organic to a position of industry-leading strength. The company is now recognised around the world as the leading supplier of trustworthy, certified organic beef and lamb products. Peter is widely travelled throughout Asia, the USA and Europe, opening and developing markets for OBE Organic’s beef and lamb.
As a renowned Australian pastoral industry consultant, he has been frequently engaged by government bodies to provide expert advice on cattle behaviour. Peter’s expertise is also in high demand by agricultural universities, colleges and other institutions, which seek his advice on trends, curriculum and course structuring. Peter is also a widely-published author with his technical and other papers having appeared in industry and scientific publications. With his sons, Peter owns and manages 77,000 acres (311 sq. km) of certified organic land in Australia’s pristine Channel Country grasslands. Their properties, “Alawoona” and “Sholto” are located 900km inland from the Queensland state capital of Brisbane. These farms are covered in succulent Mitchell grass, rich varieties of herbaceous plants and Mulga trees, all of which provide excellent fodder for approximately 1500 head of organic livestock. Peter’s family history in the area dates back over 120 years: his grandfather settled there in the year 1890.
In the year 1980 Peter made his first official trip to China, as an invited guest of the Chinese government. Exercising his skill as an master of cattle breeding as part of an Australian delegation of agricultural experts, he crossed the then Hong Kong-China border by train and advised on cattle farming techniques at People’s Communes and state-owned farms. Peter and his colleagues travelled through Guangzhou, Beijing, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shaanxi on that mission of 30 years ago.
Peter is proud of his broad range of affiliations with professional and industry bodies, which include the Australian Rangeland Society, the Australian Society of Animal Production, Agforce Queensland, the South West Queensland Natural Resource Management Group, and Meat and Livestock Australia. Peter has a passionate belief that the management of natural resources and the aspirations of the people who manage them are inseparable.
Dalene Wray
Regional Manager, Asia
OBE Organic Deputy General Manager Dalene Wray
One of the children of OBE Organic’s Chairman, Dalene is OBE Organic’s Regional Manager for Asia.
As such, she is extremely well-travelled throughout OBE’s Asian markets of China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Japan and Indonesia. She speaks English, French, Spanish and has studied Mandarin Chinese.
Dalene runs OBE’s Asian operations from her home in Hong Kong, where she lives with her husband Michael and daughter Ella.
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