Ron Wilson was a dedicated farmer, a beloved family member and husband, and a champion sportsman.
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Ron was born on January 3, 1938, in Malmsbury, Victoria in the Macedon Ranges.
He was the second of four children to Lil and Alan Wilson.
He went to school in Tongala, and despite being awarded the most improved pupil in Year 3, he decided he didn't really like school, and left at the age of 14.
He was much happier spending time on the land picking fruit, helping his father milk the cows, and preparing show cows for upcoming shows.
When he got his driver’s licence, he drove gravel trucks, carted hay and picked up milk for the Tonnie Condensary, and also milked cows for Kelvin and Moira Aldous.
In 1962, he went sharefarming in Koyuga.
He met his wife Marg at a dance in Kyabram, and they tied the knot on May 4, 1963.
In 1969, they were granted a Rural Finance and Settlement Commission closer settlement at Simpson in the Western District, and his dream of running his own farm began.
Around 1981, after 12 years of growing the farm successfully in Simpson, Ron and Marg decided to look for a farm back closer to family, and with the help of the late Frank Burgman, they landed a property in the Goulburn Valley at Katandra West.
Life didn’t change much, the hard work continued on the land, learning new ways as this was irrigation land, no hills, not a lot of wind and rain, but scorching sunshine to boot.
Ron was generous with his time, he provided trophies, offered cattle for displays, gave spare time to judging and time on the gate at Katandra night football.
Ron got involved with the show committees and everything else the Jersey world presented, showing cows and also judging events, not only in Australia, but he also judged shows in Tasmania and New Zealand.
He also helped and guided younger farmers with the same passion as his into the Jersey world.
His passion led him to becoming president at Numurkah which he was granted a life membership.
One example of Ron’s dedication to others was at the Shepparton Show, where a young Jeremy Campbel was first in line and Ron was behind him in second.
Jeremy’s heifer was playing up, so Ron dropped the lead to his heifer to help Jeremy, the applause around the ring rang out in appreciation of what Ron did to help the young lad.
Jeremy went on to win the class, it just shows how passionate Ron was and how he was willing to help others.
It was not only his show cows that stood out, it was the whole herd and his farm.
Every cow had a name, they were all treated like pets, so to grow up in the Navillus Jersey Stud would have been exceptional.
The stud farm they created was called Navillus Jesery Stud.
Spell it backwards, and it says Sullivan, a tribute to a family name through generations.
In 1993, Ron and Marg moved about a kilometre up the road and purchased a farm from Merv Burgman to continue their passion.
To promote his brand, he showed his cows at many shows from Shepparton and the greater area, to his yearly trip to the Melbourne Royal Show.
He loved this because it was the best-of-the-best from around the state, and not just Jerseys, but many other breeds as well.
His Melbourne show team of cows would consist of 13 altogether — 12 females and one bull.
One cow was extra special — Sunflower. A news reporter from The Age once stated that Sunflower was the Marilyn Munroe of Jersey cows.
Ron also started doing his own artificial insemination, which included sending his own bulls to Tongala, and getting semen extracted from them, putting them in straws in nitrogen canisters to share with other farmers.
His love for farming, the stud farm he created and this new opportunity to improve his herd was a driving force, and the potential profit from this new venture and to become successful at shows where he proudly displayed his stock for all to see was quite obvious.
Outside of farming, he was also a passionate sportsman, playing cricket and football, with one of his achievements being a member of the Tongala premiership side in 1961.
Ron was a loving husband to Marg for 62 years and was a proud father to three, grandfather to five and great-grandfather to six.
He died peacefully in Harmony Villages on February 2.
A funeral was held at the Owen Mohan Memorial Chapel in Shepparton on February 17.
Journalist