Noodle wheat pioneer Dr Graham Crosbie’s portrait unveiled at WA Agricultural Hall of Fame 2021

Noodle wheat pioneer Dr Graham Crosbie is the latest visionary to be immortalised on the hallowed walls of the WA Agriculture Hall of Fame, with his portrait unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday. The cereal chemist credited as the driving force behind the State’s success in becoming the world’s major supplier of specialised wheat for Japanese and South Korean markets said it was an honour to be the 2021 inductee. More than 60 people filled the Claremont Showground’s historic Buttfield House for the ceremony, opened by Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia president David Thomas. The ceremony marked the Hon Kim Beazley’s last official event as Governor of WA and introduced RASWA’s new chief executive, Robyn Sermon. As the portrait — painted by artist Tatyana Soboleva — was unveiled and Mr Crosbie stood, applause filled the building, with Mr Thomas cheekily calling him a “good looking bloke” as he took to the podium. With passion in his voice, he began talking about how his love for agriculture developed in his teenage years, buying some chooks at 20-years-old, closely followed by considerations about growing wheat. He then went on to pave a formidable career in the industry, starting as a laboratory assistant with the Department of Agriculture in 1960, before travelling the world as a first-class cereal chemist and playing a pivotal role in breeding the ideal wheat for high quality noodles. Established by RASWA in 1999 — the same year WA became Australia’s biggest producer of canola — the Agricultural Hall of Fame pays tribute to renowned agricultural achievers. Mr Crosbie joins a long list of iconic characters pivotal in WA’s agricultural sector over the decades, including RASWA foundation member James Drummond (1999), prominent Merino breeder Peter Lefroy (2002) and Rylington Park founder and Boyup Brook farmer Eric Farleigh (2018). The 2020 Inductee was late politician and agricultural scientist Ray Owen, who was posthumously inducted for his long lasting legacy as one of the State’s most respected figures in horticulture.

Noodle wheat pioneer Dr Graham Crosbie’s portrait unveiled at WA Agricultural Hall of Fame 2021

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