Shirley Harlock

For almost four decades, Shirley Harlock has been a strong advocate for Victoria's dairy industry and dairy women.

She has led development in dairy research and regulation, taken many leadership and representative roles and been an active voice for the importance of women's participation in decision making in all aspects of public life.

Shirley is a past Director of the Australian Dairy Farmers Board and the Irrigator Representative of the State Water for Growth Committee. More recently she has become the Director of the Sustainable Agricultural Fund.

Other leadership roles include being the current chair of the FutureDairy Project, which has developed innovative dairy farming systems, chair of the Dairy Food Safety Victoria Board and chair of the FutureDairy Steering Committee.

Shirley has been a partner for 42 years in Wollaston Farms with her husband and son, operating five properties that include dairy cows, beef breeders and prime lamb ewes in the Warrnambool region.

In 2009, 'Fala Park'- one of the Wollaston Farms properties - was chosen as an example of best practice dairy farming and visited by the Governor General, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce.