The 2012 Brisbane Ekka saw Graham Radel (Happy Valley Stud, Biggenden) receive the surprise of his life with the awarding of Life Membership of the ICSA's Queensland Branch.

Graham has spent his whole life involved with dairying, breeding and showing what were AIS and are now Illawarra cattle. After leaving school, he worked on the family farm in partnership with his brother until 1971, when he bought his brother’ share of the Happy Valley farm. 
 
During his younger days, he developed his passion for showing cattle. As well as being involved in exhibiting the Happy Valley cattle at shows including Bundaberg, Maryborough, Gympie and many smaller country shows, he enjoyed working with others including Phillips’ Sunny View Stud at the Brisbane Exhibition. His memories of those days are vivid and he loves to share stories from those times, including many passed on to him by his father.

In more recent years, he has successfully shown his Happy Valley Illawarras at WBBICC Feature shows and has been a regular exhibitor at Gympie Show, winning many major ribbons.

Graham has been a regular exhibitor at Brisbane since 1976, missing only the 1984 EKKA owing to early accreditation in the EBL Eradication Scheme. During those years, he has been highly successful, having won Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons as well as Most Successful Exhibitor and Premier Breeder on many occasions. His greatest success was celebrated in 1983, when Happy Valley Betty 12 was awarded Supreme Champion Dairy Cow.

In 1974, Graham became a member of the Provisional Panel of judges (Queensland) and was added to the Illawarra Royal Panel in 1975. He has judged at shows, sometimes more than once, from Malanda in far North Queensland, through central and south east Queensland, to country and major shows throughout NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Royal Shows have included Sydney, Kiama, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Graham has been a member of the Wide Bay Burnett Illawarra Cattle Club since its inception and served many years (1980 to 2000) as a State Councillor of the Illawarra Society, Queensland Branch.  His love for the breed has been unwavering and this year, he celebrates 100 years of the Happy Valley Illawarra Stud.