Patrick Desmond Rowley (born 23 September 1935) is an Australian agricultural leader. He was chairman of the Australian Dairy Farmers Federation from 1977 until 2006, during which time he assisted in initiating significant industry changes. The

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described him in 2003 as "the most influential figure in the history of Australian dairy farming".

Personal life

Early life

Rowley was born to Charles "Charlie" Rowley and Lilian Henn éeon September 23, 1935, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Victoria. He is the eldest of four siblings. The family moved to

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, and established their dairy farm in

Burpengary Burpengary is a town and Suburbs and localities (Australia), suburb in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the suburb of Burpengary had a population of 14,022 people. It is by road from the Brisbane CBD, Brisbane central bu ...

, north of Brisbane, where Rowley Road is today. Pat Rowley attended Marist College, Ashgrove, a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

boarding school for boys, from grades 5–12.

Marriage and children

Rowley married Mary Monica Rospigaroff éeon September 12, 1959, at St Peter's Catholic Church in Caboolture, Queensland, after meeting at a Junior Farmers gathering in Caboolture. After marrying, the couple moved to

Dayboro Dayboro is a rural town and locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Dayboro had a population of 2,119 people. Geography Dayboro Main Street 002 They have five children together and as of 2020, have a total of eleven grandchildren. Mary died at their farm on 16 July 2021, after having received a terminal cancer diagnosis of

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...

exactly one month prior.

Religious views

Rowley, along with his wife, identify as

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, a denomination of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, and are regular parishioners at St Francis Xavier,

Dayboro Dayboro is a rural town and locality in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Dayboro had a population of 2,119 people. Geography Dayboro Main Street 002 deregulation Deregulation is the process of removing or reducing state regulations, typically in the economic sphere. It is the repeal of governmental regulation of the economy. It became common in advanced industrial economies in the 1970s and 1980s, as a ...

would relieve significant pressure on the commercial sales of milk in Victoria, in which the largest production of dairyfarming, and manufacture of milk, occurred. In 1999, the federal government announced plans to implement the Dairy Structural Adjustment Program (DSAP), a scheme that would be introduced nationwide to deregulate the dairy industry. This involved the removal of state and federal legislation surrounding the manufacture, sourcing and pricing of milk as a commodity. Deregulation would ensure a far more competitive dairy industry while simultaneously benefiting consumers by lowering retail prices of milk. Prior to deregulation, the Domestic Market Support scheme, a federal initiative, ensured that dairy farmers across Australia received efficient financial compensation for their contributions to the commercial dairy industry. Recognising the inevitable and the chaos that would follow, the Australian Dairy Industry Council, chaired by Rowley, approached the government in partnership with Federal Minister for Primary Industry

John Kerin John Charles Kerin (born 21 November 1937) is an Australian economist and former Labor Party politician who served in the House of Representatives from 1972 to 1975 and again from 1978 to 1993. He held a number of senior ministerial roles in ...

, with a proposal that would better prepare farmers for the deregulation of the industry in a commercial climate. The DSAP significantly lessened the blow of the inevitable industry restructure, and provided dairy farmers with a choice to remain in the industry or to leave with financial compensation. A levy of 11 cents per litre was also imposed upon commercial dairy based beverages. Despite a dramatic decrease in dairy farms across the nation, many farmers believe the effects of deregulation in the absence of Rowley's initiative would have been utterly devastating. The DSAP significantly lessened the blow of the inevitable industry restructure, and provided dairy farmers with a choice to remain in the industry or to leave with financial compensation. “We could have let commercial forces take prices down and hurt people very badly. What we did was go in front of government, put all those facts in front of them and say we think that on the first of July there ought to be some help. We put together the biggest re-structure scheme in the history of agriculture, $2.1 billion, to farmers on the basis this game is going to get hard in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

and

, you need to use this money to get yourself into the new market realities to try and be able to operate. We never ever said it was going to be easy, it was going to be tough. There was very little impact in a state like

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, but we had to have a national scheme,” Rowley said in an interview for

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Honours, decorations, awards and distinctions

References

External links

Australian Dairy Farmers

Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme

Australian Dairy Industry Council

Dairy Australia

Queensland Dairyfarmers' Organisation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowley, Patrick 1935 births Living people Businesspeople in the dairy industry Businesspeople from Melbourne