Industry mourns former 'Beef Industry Achiever of the Decade' Dick Austen

A leader of the coal industry for 35 years, he would also rise to prominence in the beef industry, being director of the Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation (AMLC) and also chair from 1984, his tenure in the position being for three terms, concluding in 1993.

This was during a pivotal time in which he oversaw and championed several major intiatives which resonate within the red meat industry to this day.

His legacy includes the opening of the US, Korean and Japanese markets to Australian meat exports, carcase classification and processor feedback through the Aus-Meat program, the development of the Computer Aided Livestock Marketing System (CALM), which preceded AuctionsPlus, as well as targeted promotion of red meat domestically.

He also was chair for three terms of the Beef Co-operative Research Centre, and in a federal Parliament Reference Committee paper about the administration and funding of rural research, from December 1994, relating to his role with that CRC it said: "He is the man, some say, who single-handedly changed the fortunes of the coal and beef industries of Australia".

He was awarded an honorary PhD by the University of New England, Armidale, also where the CRC was headquartered, in recognition of his work in that role, and in April 2000, he was identified as the Australian Beef Industry Achiever of the Decade.

He will be remembered as a strong proponent of the red meat industry and Australian primary industries.

Dick, who was also a recipient of an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1982 for service to the coal industry (but didn't receive this until June 1983, Queen's Birthday Honours), owned and operated numerous cattle properties from Belayando, Queensland, to large holdings at Mendooran.

His funeral will be held from 11am, Wednesday, January 10, at St Patrick's in Lithgow.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Yvonne, a son, a daughter and their families.