Project Cygnet is a philanthropic fund established by the family, colleagues, and friends of the late Professor Andrew Swan.
The fund is dedicated to fostering the next generation of scientific talent by providing targeted funding for unique opportunities that promote intellectual and personal growth, industry engagement, and collaborative skills, ultimately enabling greater impact in the livestock industry.
🐑 Conversation with Daniel Brown
30+ years of sheep breeding wisdom. One very good conversation.
Bend Daniel Brown’s ear and pick the brains of one of AGBU’s sheep breeding experts. Ask the questions you’ve always wanted answered, glean a few pearls of wisdom and enjoy an hour (or more!) of conversation with someone who has spent more than 30 years immersed in sheep breeding.
You can’t put a price on experience… but you can bid on it!
🐂 Conversation with David Johnston
30+ years of beef breeding wisdom. Your chance to talk cattle with the best.
Take your time bending the ear of David Johnston and tap into more than 30 years of experience in beef cattle breeding. Whether you’ve got burning questions, a tricky breeding problem or simply want to talk cattle, this is your chance to pick the brains of an AGBU expert.
Priceless knowledge. One very lucky bidder.
🍷 AGBU 25th Cellared Bottle of Red
Aged to perfection. And old enough to know a few AGBU stories.
A very special bottle of Rosemount Estate Hunter Valley red, produced in 2001 and generously donated by Toni Reverter. This is more than just a bottle of wine — it’s a little piece of AGBU history, celebrating 25 years of cellaring.
Open it. Savour it. Or keep it safely tucked away for another 25 years!
🐑 AMSEA 2027 Sire Entry
Give your sire the star treatment!
Put your sire in the spotlight with an AMSEA 2027 Merino Superior Sires entry, including a full-page advertisement in the 2027 edition. The opportunity can be at a site of your choice, with AMSEA promoting the auction opportunity through the MSS page and accepting pre-auction bids.
A serious opportunity for a serious sire.
🎣 Fly Fishing with Phil Thomas
Cast your line. Pick Phil’s brain. Catch more fish.
Learn the art of fly fishing from Philip Thomas, who has been fine-tuning his skills since 2007 across Tasmania, South Australia and the New England. From Murray cod and Australian bass to carp and trout, Phil has plenty of experience to share. Your session will cover gear, tactics, stream-craft, fish biology and behaviour, with a focus on the waters of New England, Tasmania and the NSW coast.
Because sometimes the secret to catching fish is knowing where to cast — and when.
🏡 Two Nights at Glenlyon Dam Holiday Cottage
Escape the office. Escape the inbox. Escape to Glenlyon.
Enjoy two nights at the beautiful Glenlyon Dam Holiday Cottage, generously donated by Judy Barnet. Pack your bags, leave the emails behind and enjoy some well-earned time out.
Two nights. Plenty of peace. Absolutely no need to discuss breeding values.
🎨 Framed Pastel Artwork by Sam Walkom
Bring a little piece of the New England home.
Add an original work by AGBU's own Sam Walkom to your wall. Created especially for the Project Cygnet auction, this beautiful framed pastel captures the New England landscape around Kelly’s Plains.
One-off. Original. And considerably more interesting than another print from IKEA.
SportUNE Memberships — 3 × 3-month memberships
Your body called. It wants its own Project Cygnet auction item.
Get moving with a three-month SportUNE community membership, with three memberships up for grabs. Enjoy unlimited access to the high-performance gym, heated indoor pool, group fitness classes and selected sporting facilities. Generously donated by UNELife.
Bid now. Your future self will thank you.
🐄 Rennylea Yearling Stud Heifer
A very good reason to put your hand up.
Here’s your chance to take home a quality Rennylea stud yearling heifer – NOR25W74. A genuine opportunity to add a promising young female from a renowned breeding program to your herd.
For those who prefer their auction prizes four-legged and genetically valuable.
Details available on AuctionsPlus. Pre-auction bidding details to come.
🦄 Curated Unicorn Wine Collection
A Unicorn collection worthy of a celebration.
A hand-picked collection of high-quality wines curated by Vinomofo, donated by John Henshall, and brought together especially for the AGBU50 celebrations.
Expensive? Apparently. Exceptional? We’ll let your taste buds decide.
🐑 Hand-crafted ‘Sheepyard’ Quilted Panel
For the sheep lover who already has everything… except this.
A beautiful hand-crafted quilted panel featuring a blue Kelpie hard at work amongst Merino sheep. Generously donated by Neogen, this unique piece showcases the talents of some very talented quilters in their extended family.
A little bit of sheep. A little bit of Kelpie. A whole lot of craftsmanship.
🧬 Flock Profile Tests
Know your flock. Know your genetics. Know your stuff.
Take the guesswork out of flock profiling with a Flock Profile test, generously donated by Xytovet. A great opportunity to put valuable genetic information to work in your breeding program.
Because when it comes to genetics, more information is rarely a bad thing.
🌿 Original Eco-print Wall Hanging — ‘Eucalyptus’
A little bit of the Australian bush, captured in fabric.
This beautiful original eco-print wall hanging, ‘Eucalyptus’, is the work of talented local Armidale artist Shirley Tier, known for her landscape paintings, acrylic collages and miniature aerial artworks. Shirley’s connection to AGBU runs even deeper through her husband Bruce Tier — who may have had something (or quite a lot) to do with developing BREEDPLAN!
Beautiful artwork with a little AGBU history woven in.
🚲 Armidale Bicycle Centre
Details pending
🎨 A Path to Somewhere – Original Acrylic Painting by Heather McPhie
Where does the path lead? That’s for you to decide.
This beautiful original acrylic painting, A Path to Somewhere, is by talented local artist Heather McPhie. Measuring 52 × 42 cm, framed, the painting captures Heather’s love of the countryside and her ability to bring the beauty of the landscape to canvas.
An original piece of local art — and perhaps an invitation to see where the path takes you.
⛳ Framed Golfing Flag – Signed by the complete 2022 Presidents Cup Team
A hole-in-one for any golf fan!
A genuine piece of Presidents Cup memorabilia, this framed golfing flag is signed by the complete 2022 International Team, who played at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. The impressive list of signatures includes Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im, Tom Kim, Corey Conners, Adam Scott, Mito Pereira, K.H. Lee, Si Woo Kim, Taylor Pendrith, Cam Davis, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Sebastián Muñoz, Trevor Immelman (International team captain), Mike Weir, K.J. Choi, Geoff Ogilvy and Camilo Villegas.
A fantastic addition to any golf collection — and one auction item that should be very easy to get excited about!
🎨 Original Painting by Sandra Gordon
Art with a local connection.
This original work by talented local artist Sandra Gordon is a unique opportunity to take home a piece of local creativity.
Bid generously and give your wall something worth talking about.
👶 Hand-crafted Baby Hamper Quilt
A little bundle of handmade love.
A beautiful hand-crafted quilt, generously donated by Neogen, and the perfect addition to a baby’s nursery. Made with care and creativity, this is a special keepsake that can be treasured long after the baby has outgrown it.
Small person. Big cuddles. Beautiful quilt.
🌼 Billy Buttons (Craspedia globosa)
A little piece of Australian beauty that lasts.
A beautiful, hand-picked bunch of Billy Buttons (Craspedia globosa), a fabulous Australian perennial prized for dried floral displays. Hard to come by and generously donated by Peta Bradley.
A beautiful arrangement featuring a hard-to-find Australian favourite.
🧸 Hand-crafted Baby Quilt
A beautiful way to mark baby’s first year.
This gorgeous hand-crafted quilt, generously donated by Neogen, features the 12 months of the year and makes a beautiful keepsake for celebrating all those special milestones as baby grows. A thoughtful handmade gift that can be treasured long after the first year is over.
Twelve months. Plenty of memories. One very special keepsake.
🎨 Original Acrylic Painting by Louise Wilson
A glimpse of the Northern Tablelands, captured on canvas.
This original acrylic painting was generously donated by Turramurra artist Louise Willson and is based on a photograph she took during a visit to the Northern Tablelands.
A beautiful interpretation of the local landscape, bringing a little piece of the New England countryside into your home.
An original artwork with a distinctly local story.
Purchase tickets to the Project Cygnet auction dinner and AGBU50 celebrations
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Don't miss your chance to be part of this special event — email "I want to know more" to agbu@une.edu.au