Honouring a Legacy: First Bruce Simpson Rural Scholarship Awarded to Mundarlo Farmer

In Short

• Legacy Honoured: Nick Austin, a fourth-generation farmer from Mundarlo, has been named the first recipient of the Bruce Simpson Rural Scholarship.

• Future Leadership: The scholarship enables Austin to join the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP), mirroring the path taken by the late Bruce Simpson 25 years ago.

• Endowment Progress: The family-led fund has raised over $1 million toward a $2 million goal to ensure permanent leadership training for Riverina voices.

The memory of a prominent Riverina agricultural advocate and water policy expert has been formalised this week, with the announcement of the inaugural recipient of the Bruce Simpson Rural Scholarship.

Nick Austin, a primary producer from the Mundoonan region, has been selected as the first scholar to undertake the Australian Rural Leadership Program (ARLP) under the newly established fund. 

Mr Austin is a fourth-generation family farmer at Mundarlo, on the Murrumbidgee River east of Wagga Wagga. 

He runs livestock with his family and according to a ARLP spokesperson has built “a strong reputation for thinking long-term and working with nature.” 

The scholarship was created to honour the late Bruce Simpson, a Deniliquin-based leader whose sudden passing in February 2024 was felt keenly across the region.

Mr Simpson was a frequent presence in town's across the district. 

He was highly regarded for his ability to translate the complexities of Murray-Darling Basin water policy into practical outcomes for irrigators and dryland farmers alike.

Through his leadership roles at Murray Irrigation and his work as an agribusiness consultant, he maintained strong professional and personal ties with landholders across the district.

The scholarship fund is a family-led initiative, spearheaded by Mr Simpson’s wife, Shandra, and his twin brother, John. 

To date, the fund has raised more than $1 million toward a $2 million endowment goal, intended to provide ongoing leadership opportunities for the next generation of Riverina voices.

“Bruce always put himself in positions where he kept learning. He knew you never stop learning,” Mrs Simpson said. 

“For future scholarship recipients, I just hope they grow from their ARLP experience like Bruce grew from his.”

The successful applicant, Mr Austin, will participate in Course 33 of the ARLP. 

This mirrors the path taken by Mr Simpson, who was a graduate of the program's seventh cohort nearly 25 years ago. 

The curriculum focuses on developing the strategic skills necessary to navigate the unique socio-economic and environmental challenges currently facing regional Australia.

Selection for the scholarship remains a family affair, with Mr Simpson’s children, Charlie and Lucy, and brother John, involved in the process. 

The committee noted that the scholarship aims to identify individuals who demonstrate the integrity and commitment to community that defined Mr Simpson’s career.

Donations to the Bruce Simpson Rural Scholarship Fund are currently being accepted via the ARLP website.