Long time supporter of the Schute Bell charity steer Paul Ferry, lately of Hurstville, bid to the top money of $34,000 - or 7572 cents a kilogram at 449kg - for a pure-bred Simmental bred by Hartfield Simmental at Sutton Forest and prepared for show by The Presbyterian Ladies' College, Armidale.
The money will go to the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and help progress treatment of heart complications for institute patients like young Ollie Heath of St Helens Park who was present with his parents Paul and Kellie at the Sydney Royal purebred steer sale on Friday.
Agent for Mr Ferry, John Gray from Schute Bell Badgery Lumby at Bathurst, said the generous philanthropist with a good heart, and former Gundagai farmer, has donated about $500,000 through the "purchase" of 14 steers over the years ranging in price from $10,000 to $62,000 with all money raised going to cardiac research.
Head of philanthropy for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Robert Byrne, said funding would go towards a variety of innovative projects including a study into Zebra fish that are able to regenerate their heart.
"These fish are born clear so we can see their heart developing," he says. "Humans have a similar genome - about 80pc - so our goal is to learn from these fish and perhaps enable similar regeneration of the human heart."
The 12 month old steer, Hartfield Silencer, with rump fat at 8mm and rib fat at 4mm was prepared by the PLC cattle team under direction from Tim Light and Briony Looker, spending 140 days on grain, and was sold by Schute Bell auctioneer Jasen Hartin, Narromine.
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