Top marks for Georgina Raff

King Island-raised Georgina Raff is returning home for a gap year on her family’s Raff Angus farm after completing her schooling off island at Scotch College in Adelaide, where she graduated with a SACE Agricultural Production merit, one of the highest academic recognitions awarded in the subject statewide.

The merit, recorded as an A+ with Merit on the South Australian Certificate of Education, recognises exceptional performance in Agricultural Production and is reserved for students who demonstrate outstanding understanding and application of agricultural principles within the Board curriculum. The 2026 SACE Governor’s Commendations and Merit Ceremony is scheduled to be held on 11 February 2026 at Government House in Adelaide.

Georgina commenced boarding in Year 7, initially attending an all-girls school before transferring to Scotch College midway through that first year, a move she says proved pivotal.

“Going away to school away from King Island was always hard because I just love being on the farm and outdoors with the cattle so the ag farm at Scotch was good to have and being part of the cattle show team,” she said.

While proud of the achievement, Georgina said she was surprised to receive the award and credited her teacher, Ilka Klepper, for her guidance and support.

“Ag was one subject that I loved so I wanted to excel in it, but it is so rewarding when you find out that you are one of not many in the state to get a merit,” she said.

A highlight of the course was her major Agricultural Production project, which involved growing five-week-old piglets through to 105 kilograms, before processing and selling sides of pork to the school community, a practical, end-to-end exercise reflecting both production and commercial skills.

Georgina recently attended the Australian Angus Association’s Angus Roundup for Youth, a hands-on development program held at the Australian Equine and Livestock Exhibition Centre (AELEC) in Tamworth, NSW, from 7–11 January 2026, focused on beef production, cattle assessment and leadership pathways within the Angus industry. “It was such a good experience”, she said. ”I met new people around my age, but from different states and different backgrounds. The sessions covered many areas, but the stand out sessions were the handling, showing and judging workshops and  Dr Ced Wise’s sessions on reproduction and embryo transfer…the 4 days also provided the chance to find out more about bursaries, scholarships and support available for young farmers wanting to further their education”.

This year, Georgina is looking forward to returning to hands-on work with the family’s King Island Raff Angus stud . The operation runs around 2,000 registered cows and conducts an annual bull sale in Queensland. The family has also recently purchased a property at Wagga Wagga, NSW, which will serve as an additional stud base.

It is also in Wagga Wagga that Georgina plans to commence a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University in 2027.

“I am looking forward to being on the farm for six months for calving and a massive AI program and then hopefully work overseas in Scotland or work on a station for six months, I am still tossing up between the two,” she said.

“The aim of this year is to figure it out a bit more but I have always seen myself being hands on and with an ag degree I can have a bit more science knowledge to back up what I am doing out there.”