“First, our thanks go to the many Cicerone members who actively supported the Project. In particular, we thank all past members of the Cicerone Board (Kim Barnet, Hugh Beattie, Clare Belfield, John Beynon, Andrew Burgess, Terry Coventry, Richard Croft, Simon Croft, Phillip Dutton, Clare Edwards, Murray Fenwicke, Lachlan Fulloon, Doug Gray, Brian Gream, Betty Hall, John Hartmann, Ross King, Bob Marchant, David Paull, Janne Portas, Jim Scott, Pauline Smith, Hugh Sutherland, Rob Taylor, Mark Waters, Sonia Williams, Rob Woolaston and Tim Wright), as well as those members and others who helped the Project: David Abbott, Cam Banks, Ian Berry, Graeme Blair, Rob Blomfield, Warwick Browne, A. and S. Cameron, Fred Dobner, Desmond Fitzgerald, Tony Gall, Arthur Gates, Chris Guppy, Herb Higgins, Doug Laurie, Jock Laurie, Scott Macansh, Mary Maclean, Richard Maclean, Rod Maclean, John McKemey, Matthew Monk, Murray Nielsen, Martin Oppenheimer, John Seamen, Robbie Sefton, Ian Sutherland, Jim Swales, David Taylor, Natasha Tombs, Libby White, Gordon Williams and Alistair Yencken.
Second, our grateful appreciation goes to the staff of the Project, the former Cicerone Executive Officer, Ms Caroline Gaden, and the farm manager, Mr Justin Hoad as well as Mr Col Mulcahy for his capable technical assistance. Third our thanks go to the postgraduates [Karl Behrendt, Alison Colvin (Healey), Fiona Scott and Libuseng Shakhane] and honours students (Duncan Lance, Amber Morrow and Tim Sawley) who collectively conducted and analysed much of the research. Those supervising the postgraduate studies, Oscar Cacho, David Cottle, Geoff Hinch, Randall Jones, Malcolm Knox, Jim Scott and Steve WalkdenBrown, are also thanked as are all those who generously gave their time to speak at field days and seminars. Comments made on a draft of this paper by Mr Ian Rogan are also gratefully acknowledged. In addition, all those who contributed to the publications in this Special Issue and constructively reviewed them are gratefully acknowledged.
We also thank CSIRO Livestock Industries for the lease of the land and their participation in research, the University of New England for their
substantial participation in research as well as in-kind assistance and provision of a postgraduate scholarship, Betty Hall Pty Ltd for veterinary
advice, Steve Atkinson for assistance with Animal Ethics protocols, NSW Department of Primary Industries, including Michael Lollback and Alison
Strong, for extension advice, NSW TAFE for their advice and assistance, John Macfarlane and Geoff Green of the Armidale Rural Lands Protection Board, the Livestock Contractors Association, Elders Wool and Veterinary Health Research for their professional input, Warren Nancarrow of NEAB for support and the CRC for Australian Sheep Industry for providing two postgraduate scholarships.
We also acknowledge the former Waridale Sheep Society committee of Ron Shaw, Arthur Gates, Philip Rose and G. Salmon who kindly donated
funding to the Cicerone Project. Special thanks go to Colin Lord, Jim Cook and Dion Gallagher for database support and also to Duncan Mackay who assisted with so much of the data analysis and presentation of results.
Finally, we note our great appreciation of the woolgrowers and taxpayers of Australia who generously funded this Project through the former Australian Wool Research and Promotion Organisation and its successor, Australian Wool Innovation.”