Don Kerr Award Recipient: Dr Arran Hersburgh

At the Australian Veterinary Association’s Awards presentation earlier this year, Dr Arran Hersburgh was announced as the recipient of the prestigious Don Kerr Student Award, which recognises exceptional commitment and academic achievement in cattle medicine. 

Judged on academic excellence and dedication to cattle practice, the Don Kerr Award invites nominations from each Australian veterinary school. Representing James Cook University, Dr Hersburgh achieved the highest cumulative marks in beef cattle medicine and distinguished himself through his leadership, rural engagement, and contribution to advancing sustainable agriculture. 

Despite growing up in the city, his career direction was shaped by early experiences on farms and formative placements across Australia’s cattle stations and dairy operations. 

“My love for agriculture and food production really started when I was young and would escape the city to help my grandparents on their small farm,” he said. “It wasn’t until later during farm placements on cattle stations and dairy farms that it clicked this was what I wanted to do. The passion people had for their stock, way of life, and the hospitality and encouragement I was shown made it all feel incredibly worthwhile. The interest only grew from there.” 

^{Arran (second from left) with fellow AVA Award winners at the AVA Gala Dinner, 2025}

Arran described the award as a highlight of his emerging career. “It’s an honour to receive the Don Kerr Award, and I’m incredibly grateful to the many mentors who’ve guided me along the way. As a student you spend years building your skills, so it’s very rewarding to bring them into real world practice - to be acknowledged for that commitment to cattle medicine makes it even more meaningful.” 

Arran said the transition from university to professional life is a time of both excitement and anticipation. “The final year of uni felt like a victory lap around a stadium - we’d made it through the long study days and were finally starting to put that work into practice. Being so clinic-focused made it all start to feel real, and as the year went on, you could feel the shift - from nerves to genuine excitement.” 

Looking ahead, Arran is eager to contribute to the vibrancy and innovation of Australia’s rural veterinary sector. “I’m looking forward to helping bring innovation to our rural farming communities that are the backbone of our country.” 

He credits much of his development to the support of those who inspired his approach to veterinary work. “I’ve been lucky to have had some passionate mentors along the way. So many vets were generous with their time and happy to share the kind of practical wisdom that only comes from years on the job. A lot of those lessons - big and small - continue to shape how I approach things day to day,” he said. “One line that comes to mind is ‘people won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.’”