Elizabeth Boughen, 22yo cattlewoman, remembered as 'genuine, passionate'

Family members were at her bedside on Wednesday when she lost her short battle with an illness.

Elizabeth, who lived in Rosewood, was admitted to hospital in December with an autoimmune disease and soon developed complications.

Her sister Emma Boughen said she was a genuine, kind and passionate person.

"She was just the most genuine and kind person. If you looked up 'have a go' in the dictionary, that was her," Emma said.

"She just wanted to have a go at everything. Her passion was just infectious. She just wanted the best for everyone and she was just so passionate about young people getting involved and helping new people.

"A lot of messages that we've had over the last couple of days are from people saying, 'when I was new to showing, or when I met Elizabeth at a cattle camp and I didn't know anyone, she took me under her wing and introduced me to people and showed me the way'.

"She just was so inclusive of absolutely everybody."

Elizabeth leaves behind sister Emma, brother Ben, parents Vicki and Noel, and partner Aidan Thomas.

The 22-year-old was well known within the Droughtmaster breed and around the show circuit where she regularly competed in the ring in a range of events, and Droughtmaster Australia has paid tribute to her.

"Liz always had a ready smile for everyone and her calm, quiet approach earned her the respect of those who met her," they said.

She was also an accomplished judge with one of her highlights being invited to be the associate judge at the 2021 Gatton Futurity.

"I think she would say that would be one of her proudest achievements," Emma said.

"She was working towards becoming a cattle judge at the Ekka."

Elizabeth also embraced the agricultural show movement and last year represented the Boonah Show and West Moreton and Brisbane Valley sub chamber as a 2022 Queensland Rural Ambassador state finalist.

Marburg Show, which she was a part of as 2019 showgirl and as a steward, has also paid tribute.

"Marburg Show Society would like to offer its deepest condolences to the Boughen family and friends in this sad time. A young lady taken to soon," the society said.

The passionate young woman's ties to Rosewood were very strong, with her family settling there in the 1850s.

She attended St Brigid's Primary School in Rosewood and Haigslea State School and her high school years were spent at West Moreton Anglican College, where she was "the most enthusiastic member of their school cattle show team", according to Emma.

Elizabeth was due to start a teaching degree later this year at UNE with the goal to become an ag teacher.

Her love of cattle came from her parents, with father Noel starting Normanton Park Droughtmasters in 1991.

In 2006, when Elizabeth was just six, she started a junior stud with her siblings called THE BLOCK.

"My brother and I went off to do other things in life and it was really Lizzie's passion for the stud that kept it going," Emma said.

"We used to joke that all she could talk about was cattle and breeding strategies and things that she wanted to try in upcoming show seasons. It was just her life's passion. She loved it so much."

She was due to sell the first purebred animal she had bred on her own, Lightening Rose, at the Droughtmaster National female sale in March.

Now, Noel, Ben and Aidan will make her wish come true and take her heifer to the sale.

A funeral service will be held at 12pm on January 19 at the Rosewood Uniting Church.

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