The Moredun Foundation, the governing body of Moredun Research Institute, was delighted to award two honorary fellowships to Gareth Jones and William Stewart at its AGM held on Thursday 2nd of September in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Moredun Group.
Willie Stewart graduated from the Royal (Dick) School of veterinary Studies in Edinburgh in 1973 and gained the Certificate in Sheep Health and Production in 1987. He worked in large animal vet practice in Easter Ross and Orkney before joining the State Veterinary Service, now AHVLA, in 1990, working in Stranraer, then Orkney. He has been involved in Scrapie eradication in Orkney and Shetland, and on long distance sea transportation of sheep and cattle from the islands to Aberdeen. Willie is a past chairman of the Orkney Agricultural Discussion Society and a past president of the local Rotary club and coach children to play rugby.
As well as being a member of the main Moredun Foundation Board, Willie is also the Chairman of Moredun Foundation’s North of Scotland Regional Board and he chaired the audit group at Moredun for several years. Willie was instrumental in making the connections between the Moredun Foundation and Orkney Livestock Association and in helping to facilitate sampling on livestock farms in Orkney to progress scientific projects involving the transmission of zoonotic pathogens between farm livestock, wildlife and the environment.
Gareth Jones was born in Caernarfen, North Wales and gained a HND in Agriculture from Aberystwyth in 1982. He then managed farms in mid Wales and Hereford before spending two years as Beef Specialist with the Meat and Livestock Commission. Gareth is currently the Farm Manager at Rhug, a large organic estate in North Wales which has developed its own retail business over the past ten years. Gareth is a Hybu Cig Cymru (HCC) Scholar and past chairman of HCC Scholar’s Association as well as a current member of CARAS Wales Panel. Gareth is the current chairman of BroGeyndwr Male Voice Choir and is a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS). As well as being a member of the main Moredun Foundation Board, Gareth is also the Chairman of Moredun Foundation’s Welsh regional board and has been Chair of the Regional Chairs group for a number of years.
At the AGM Gareth Baird, Chairman of the Moredun Foundation, said:
“It is a huge honour to be able to recognise the contribution of people who really have made a difference. This year’s recipients have done just that in promoting the work of the Moredun Foundation in the North of Scotland and in Wales and helping to promote the connectivity between the livestock industry in its widest sense to the scientific research conducted at Moredun. We are delighted to recognise the outstanding contribution of both Willie Stewart and Gareth Jones.”
