Shine Awards 2021: Cattle breeder Rita Canning nominated
Rita Canning’s daughter inherited her love of cattle, and was on track for a bright future in livestock when tragedy struck. No stranger to heartache, Rita knew how to pull Ruby through.
Rita Canning is a nominee in The Weekly Times 2021 Shine Awards, supported by Harvey Norman. If you know a rural woman who deserves to be celebrated, nominate her now.
Cattlewoman Rita Canning absolutely oozes optimism.
The Simmental breeder has made a huge contribution to her family’s small stud operation, her children’s passion for agriculture and the wider Simmental and ag show community. Even when faced with some of life’s toughest challenges, Rita’s positivity remains her greatest strength.
The Cannings run Mavstar Simmentals at Myamyn, in western Victoria. Rita says it is a family affair, with husband Ross, son Jacob and daughter Ruby, all pitching in.
Breeding decisions, however, are made solely by Rita and Ruby, who is also an up-and-coming livestock judge.
Cattle-love runs deep for mother and daughter. Rita says it was her father, Maverick Simmentals stud principal Peter Schembri, who was her inspiration, and losing him to a short illness in 2012 tested her to her core.
“Dealing with Dad’s death still affects me on a daily basis,” Rita says, explaining that her brother and sister really pulled her through the dark time.
“Just seeing someone who could be so healthy, and never had anything wrong with him. He loved life and loved his grandkids. Then to be told you are not going to live past 12 months.
“That was a big shock for all of us.”
Determined to work through the depression, and help her mother, Agnes, carry on with the family’s cattle and cropping operation at Inverleigh, Rita helped her family honour Peter’s memory, together establishing a memorial trophy at the Geelong Show.
“My father was instrumental in showing cattle at the Geelong show for well over 35 years,” she says.
Not long after Peter’s death, Rita was tested again when Ruby, then 19, was seriously injured in a horrific car accident in 2017.
“She actually broke her back,” Rita says. “She could have died … I thought, ‘we are just so blessed that she is alive’.
“I devoted everything I could to Ruby.”
Ruby, now 23, says her mother’s unwavering positivity gave her the drive to fight back to full health.
“My mum gave up everything to become my home carer,” says Ruby, who was confined to bed in a back brace for 12 weeks. “She gave me strength, made me laugh, and got me through the hardest days in my life.”
Now recovered, Ruby has a degree in business from the University of New England, and is forging an ag career, working for Outcross livestock and her own rural photography business.
Rita, meanwhile, is looking forward to the next time Ruby makes it home, so they can plan their next breeding move with the Simmentals.
“Ruby and I have always had that amazing connection with the cattle side of things,” she says. “We enjoy what we are doing.”
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