Inaugural Peter Morgan Award winner Charlie Kidman, left, PTWM director Geoffrey Beath and Peter Morgan.

NUTRIEN wool rehandle manager Charlie Kidman has been awarded the inaugural Peter Morgan Award by the Private Treaty Merchants of Australia.

At the Wool Industries Australia annual dinner in Melbourne last week, Charlie said he was honoured to win the award.

“I’m looking forward to going to the Nanjing conference in two weeks, it should be a great experience.

“Thank you Peter, you’re an absolute legend in the wool game, I appreciate it a lot…”

The 29 year-old also thanked Scott Williams, David Kay and Ben Litchfield for their time in interviewing him for the award.

Charlie said he started in the industry as a casual worker pressing wool in 2016.

“As a 19 year-old, I came out of school didn’t know what I wanted to do.”

When asked what his superpower is, Charlie said he is a very good field umpire in the Geelong Football League.

“But I grew my passion for the wool industry through my old man (Nutrien’s South Australian state manager Tony Kidman), but this is the problem that I see is happening in the wool industry.

“You only get into the wool industry through people that you know or programs that are happening,” he said.

“But there are not many programs that are happening to bring young people into the wool industry and through the ranks.

“I want to see more young talented people come through the wool industry, but it’s not happening, because it is through nepotism, it’s through who you know not what you know.”

Charlie said he had made a career by not following his Dad’s legacy and is now head of wool rehandle for Nutrien in Geelong – as Victorian rehandle operations manager — and also looks after the private buying business. This involves from 5000-7000 bales a year.

PTMA director Geoffrey Beath said the award grew out of a desire to give recognition and profile to the young people in the industry.

Naming the award after the long-serving former executive director of the PTMA and the Australian Council of Wool Exporters and Processors Dr Peter Morgan was “the only choice”, Mr Beath said.

He said everybody in the room would know Dr Morgan, the former executive director of the Australian Wool Exporters and Processors.

Mr Beath said he had always regarded Peter Morgan as a great friend and that the award should be given to people who have similar values to him – “a nice genuine guy”.

Charlie will be sponsored with $5000 to go to the 37^th Nanjing Wool Market Conference in China later this month in support of helping youth in the industry, he said.

Dr Morgan said he was “absolutely delighted” to be honoured by the establishment of the new award and he wished everyone the best as they went forward in the industry.

“You’re the ones that make it what it is.”