The South Gippsland Dairy Expo has hosted a panel discussion for many years, led by farm consultants John Mulvaney and Matt Harms.
The intent of the panel has been to bring together dairy farmers and others in the industry to discuss a range of topics, that changed each year.
John was the original host, for a handful of years, and Matt stepped into the role and has made it his own for the past dozen years.
As the crowd gathers to hear the panel each year, the first thing everyone wants to know, is what character’s persona Matt will take on.
Characters have included a waiter, Donald Trump, Julius Sumner Miller, James Bond, Woody the cowboy, a magician, a monk, and a host of This Is Your Life.
This year didn’t disappoint, with Matt donning the costume of an Incredible.
This year’s expo was also Matt’s last year hosting the panel.
“I’m not retiring from working, I’m only retiring from hosting this panel,” he told Dairy News Australia.
“It always happens at a time of year when I could take a holiday, if I wasn’t doing it. So next year, that’s what we’ll be doing.”
Matt said every year the process of choosing the topic or theme of the panel discussion began several months before the expo, held in the first week of September each year at Korumburra.
“We identify relevant topics and discuss who would be a good panel member, before we decide what type of costume I want to wear,” he said.
“We discuss what’s topical and what people might want to hear about it, then we match our ideas to appropriate panel members.”
For Matt, standout panel discussions include one featuring young people in the dairy industry and another about pathways for industry growth.
“The panellists discussed understanding the barriers and limitations in knowledge for young people entering the dairy industry, as well as the importance of financial literacy,” he said.
“Financial understanding, wealth creation and business sense were recurring themes in the annual discussion.”
Matt recalled one particular session where the panellists talked about overcoming adversity.
“I could see people in the audience who were moved to tears from some of the information the panellists shared in that session,” he said.
“We always try to choose panellists who the audience will connect with, and with their real-life experiences.
“Everyone has a story to tell, and the panel format helps bring those stories to life.”
Matt said there are ‘pearls of wisdom’ that audience members quote back to him years after hearing them from a panellist.