The former Horsham man was officially recognised for his work as an agribusiness consultant at Parliament House in Canberra.

Mr Solly said he was extremely honoured to be the first recipient of the inaugural award.

Mr Solly now lives in Naracoorte, but often works in the Wimmera and co-ordinates Horsham’s Best Wool Best Lamb group.

“There are many good consultants going beyond the call of duty and I share this award with these people,” he said. 

For around 15 years, Mr Solly was a farm management lecturer in Naracoorte before he decided to start his own consulting business.

Solly Business Services came to fruition about 16 years ago.

This year he has also been developing a new initiative called Lambs Alive, which focuses on improving lamb survival.

 Mr Solly has also spent the past eight challenging South Australia’s Stock Journal readers with his Mind your Business column.

He is well-known in the grazing industry for his conference speaking and workshop delivery and said he thoroughly enjoys helping young people in the rural sector.

“The greatest thing you can have is that genuine sense of appreciation that comes from a client – to say they have really appreciated what you’ve done is just so rewarding,” he said.

“In my career I’ve spent a lot of time putting a lot of deposits into other people’s emotional bank accounts to make them feel good about what they’re doing and make sure they’re being recognised for their great efforts, but when it comes back the other way, you realise how important it is.”

Although his main passion lies in the sheep sector, Mr Solly said his greatest enjoyment was coaching and mentoring the up-and-coming people in the rural industry.

Mr Solly believes consulting is a multi-skilled occupation where at times there is a need to be a technical expert, advisor, counsellor, confident and mentor.

“It is knowing when to shift from one to the other and that is a real skill,” he said.

“Above all, good listening skills are a must to be an effective consultant.”

Mr Solly said although there were highs during his time as a consultant, managing his career with his personal life hadn’t always been smooth sailing.

“Since I’ve been a private consultant I’ve had a lot of stress in my life, but those things have made me a better consultant. It’s not the cards you’re dealt, it’s how you deal with them – you’ve got to be able to turn the negatives into positives,” he said.