Melissa Neal
Despite not coming from a farming background, Melissa Neal had an interest in cattle from a young age. It has led her to a deep involvement with Melbourne Royal, from winning the Victorian Rural Ambassador Award, to being on the Beef Cattle Committee, to joining the staff.
Melissa Neal was born at Box Hill in suburban Melbourne in 1984, and grew up in Lilydale in the Yarra Valley. While she doesn’t come from a farming background, being on Melbourne’s rural fringe gave Melissa a taste for agricultural life. She attended an independent school that offered formal agricultural education, and this set her on a career path in the livestock industry. It also instilled in Melissa the value of agricultural education in creating professional pathways.
Like generations of Victorians, Melissa visited the Royal Melbourne Show from the time she was a small child. She has vivid memories of the animal nursery and the spectacle of the Grand Parade.
I don't think it matters what age you are, being a young child seeing that for the first time: different animals, different acts, different things coming onto the arena moving around in such cleverly designed ways, I don't think that fascination has ever left me.
While still at school, Melissa attended Cattle Handlers Camp, learning the fundamentals of showing cattle. In 1998, at the age of 14, she took part in a Red Poll feature event in the beef cattle section of the Royal Melbourne Show. There was no looking back.
Through her role with the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV), Melissa subsequently became involved in running cattle camps that offered workshops, hands-on training and career development. Another important moment for Melissa came in 2014 when she won the Victorian Rural Ambassador Award, allowing her to meet a range of industry professionals, establish networks and develop many invaluable vocational skills. Melissa remains an enthusiastic advocate of the Rural Ambassador program, as she has seen firsthand the amazing potential the program has in assisting young people to create career opportunities. Melissa was also invited onto the RASV Beef Cattle Committee when still in her twenties, going on to run the Beef Carcase Competition. She has also worked as a cattle judge, and been involved with the Australian Young Farmer Challenge and the RASV Heifer Challenge.
Alongside her involvement in the Royal Melbourne Show, Melissa has developed a successful career as an agribusiness professional. She is part of an enthusiastic new generation who understand that to stay viable, agricultural industries need to adapt to changing commercial realities, encourage future leaders, develop new technologies and remain open to innovation.