Cotton growers turned out in force to hear from one of Australia’s best Wallaby players, Tim Horan, at the 18th Australian Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast last month.
Considered one of rugby union’s great centres, Mr Horan mingled with cotton growers, signed replica rugby balls and shared insights into his 12-year Test career with the Wallabies as a guest of Incitec Pivot Fertilisers.
This year’s conference will be particularly memorable for Chinchilla cotton grower, Leanne Evans who farms at Rose Par’ with her husband Greg.
After winning a Wallaby jersey signed by Mr Horan, Mrs Evans decided to put her win up for auction, raising an impressive $1,600 which was donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
The RFDS also received a further $260 raised from auctioning a match day ball donated and signed by Mr Horan and another Wallaby great, John Eales.
In his introduction, Trent Cosh from Incitec Pivot Fertilisers described Tim Horan as a strong and explosive runner who earned 80 Wallaby caps and 140 Test rugby points during his remarkable career.
He played a crucial role with the Wallabies when they won the World Rugby Cup in 1991 and again in 1999.
Mr Horan told the audience that while playing rugby at Downlands College in Toowoomba as a high school student was great fun, donning the gold jersey of the Wallabies was something special.
Much to the delight of the crowd at the cotton conference, Mr Horan showed he still has plenty of talent by nailing a 30 metre pass with pinpoint accuracy.
