Vercoe, John Edward (1936 - 2005)

Summary

John Vercoe was a key player in international livestock research who especially made many important contributions to Australia's cattle industry. He spent most of his professional career with the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) at various divisions in Queensland. He joined the Animal Genetics Division in Rockhampton in 1964 and eventually made his way up to Assistant Chief of Tropical Animal Production (1982-1993) then Director of the Tropical Beef Centre (1993-1996). Vercoe and his CSIRO colleagues helped establish Zebu and Zebu-cross cattle in Queensland which lead to a boom in its cattle industry. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the North Australia Beef Research Council which is now an advisory wing of the Cattle Council and Meat and Livestock Australia. John Vercoe was a member of many prominent international advisory and research organizations including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (United Nations), the International Livestock Centre for Africa and Ethiopia, the International Livestock Research Centre on Animal Diseases in Kenya and the International Livestock Research Institute. In 1997 his outstanding contributions to the world cattle and livestock industry were honoured when he was appointed a Member in the Order of Australia (AM).

Details

Chronology

1957

Education - Bachelor of Agricultural Science (BAgrSc), University of Melbourne

1961

Education - Master of Agricultural Science (MAgrSc), University of Melbourne

c. 1963

Career position - Postdoctoral studies in Scotland

1964 -

Career position - Research Scientist in the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Animal Genetics in Rockhampton, Queensland

1964

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Melbourne

1973 - c. 1974

Career position - Seconded to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation in Vienna, Austria

1974 - 1976

Career position - Officer-in-Charge of the Tropical Cattle Research Centre of CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)

1978 - c. 1979

Career position - Seconded to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation in Vienna, Austria

1982

Career position - Consultant to the Western Sudan Agricultural Research Project (World Bank/USAID)

1982 - c. 1993

Career position - Assistant Chief of the CSIRO Division of Tropical Animal Science

1987

Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)

1988

Award - Fellow, Australian Institute of Applied Sciences (FAIS)

1990

Career position - Vice-President, Australasian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics

1991

Career position - President, Australasian Association of Animal Breeding and Genetics

1993 - 1996

Career position - Director of the Tropical Beef Centre

1994

Award - Fellow, Australian Society of Animal Production (FASAP)

1997

Award - Member of the Order of Australia (AM) - For service to the cattle industry through research into genetic factors affecting the efficiency of beef production in tropical environments

1999 -

Career position - Member of the International Livestock Research Institute

2000 - 2005

Career position - Chair of the International Livestock Research Institute

2001

Award - Centenary Medal - for service to primary industries and science and technology

Related entries

Published resources

Newspaper Articles

• Johnson, Warren and Lumb, Mick, 'Key figure in international livestock research', The Age (2006), 10. Details

Resources

• 'Vercoe, John Edward (1936-2005)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1473344. Details

See also

• Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_v.html. Details