ADA gives highest award to Robert Brown

Posted on 23 October 2012 by Content Manager

The Hon. Robert Brown, MLC, has been awarded life membership of the Australian Deer Association, a significant accolade from one of Australia’s major game organisations.

Robert is the first person from NSW to be granted this special recognition, and it comes 20 years after he first joined the ADA.

At a special dinner last Sunday, the ADA cited his achievements for the association as well as his work as a parliamentarian as reasons for his life membership.

“Robert has led the way in NSW,” the ADA wrote in his testimonial. “His leadership, enthusiasm and vision have … raised him above any level that he could have achieved within ADA.”

The ADA grew quickly from two branches to many as Robert became first the Sydney branch president and then the state president. He served as state president until 2000 and remained on the executive for several years afterwards, and was also active as the ADA’s delegate on the Deer Working Group for the Royal National Park from 1997 until 2005.

“Robert was the one person who recognised an opportunity for the Shooters Party to push the State Government into passing the Game and Feral Animal Act 2002,” the ADA said. Indeed, Robert wrote the Act and Regulations, which not only established the Game Council and enabled hunting on public land in NSW, it cemented the status of game animals such as deer and set the scene for their management.

Robert became the chairman of the Game Council, a position he held until 2006 when he replaced John Tingle as the Shooters Party Member of the Legislative Council in the NSW Parliament. He might have become the ADA’s national president, but Robert felt he could achieve more in state politics. In 2011 he was elected to serve in the upper house at least until 2019.

In awarding life membership to Robert, the ADA noted some of his other achievements over the past 20 years:

– helping ensure hunting and club membership were genuine reasons for firearm ownership;
– helping get rid of the 28-day cooling off period for second and subsequent firearm purchases;
– helping create the State Government’s Safe Shooting Grants (MACOSC) for clubs;
– the promotion of hunting throughout Australia.

We’re proud to have Robert representing the SFP and congratulate him on his well-deserved recognition by the ADA.