Nola Brown, Puslinch, Ontario was an exceptional member of Jersey Canada's head office staff at Guelph, Ontario throughout the 1990s. In early July 1999 she passed away suddenly. Searching for some way to honour the memory of this extraordinary woman a legion of her family, friends, business associates and admirers contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the Nola Brown Continuous Achievement Award fund. This fund has been the source of five significant scholarships presented to outstanding young people, involved heavily with the Jersey breed, every year since 2000. All five recipients have mirrored Nola Brown's unusual zest for life, her giving and generous attitude toward others, her continuously exhibited volunteer and community spirit, her love for livestock and her ability to multi-task and do mountains of hard work with gusto and humour and excellence.

Earlier this month the 2003 award recipient Melissa Bowers of Coaticook, Quebec and members of Nola Brown's family had the pleasure and honour of naming the 2004 recipient at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, Ontario.

Robert (Bobby) Jarrell, Jr. of RJ Farms, Corbyville, Ontario. Bobby is the eldest of three absolutely incredible children in the family of Robert and April Jarrell who farm on Blessington Road, north of Belleville, Ontario.

Bobby is a perfect recipient of this award as, at 22 years young he has a resume of accomplishments and contributions "well over a mile long". He has received special awards that perfectly characterize the alive and energetic and outgoing nature of the late Nola Brown to a T: Most Enthusiastic Member of his local 4-H calf club; Most Valuable Player on a local hockey team; Most Dedicated to the Cause during a "30 hour famine" to help others; Spirit of 4-H awards at the local and Hastings county levels and the list goes on!

During an 11 year 4-H career he has been President of both his local calf club and a judging club five times, a 4-H youth leader for six years, a member of the Hastings County 4-H leaders Association.

This kind of active involvement and contributing nature has extended to other arenas including: Presidency of his Class Executive at Ontario Agricultural College in 2002/03 and a seat on the class executive all four years that Bobby has been at the University of Guelph's OAC in an Honours Agricultural Sciences program; Chair of the Student Federation of OAC, a role on the OAC Advisory Council, Coach of Hockey teams in the Belleville area; Captain of an All Ontario hockey team; competing at the Ontario provincial level in wrestling; Captain of hockey teams at the University of Guelph; four years of membership on the University of Guelph Judging team and now a role as co-Organizer of the team and this "only scratches the surface"!!

Awards upon awards have flowed Bobby's way including Champion Calf, Showmanship and Judging honours at 4-H and Jersey events; an award for Overall Top Dairy Competitor at Eastern Breeders 4-H Showcase in 2003; five years of participation as a Hastings County team member at the Scotiabank Hays Classic 4-H show; Top Senior 4-H member in the county; Champion Judge at OAC's Intercollegiate Judging Competition in 2002 and various awards for athletics during his high school career.

Jarrell has been heavily involved with the management of the registered dairy herd of 60 cows (65% Jerseys) at his home farm. The Jarrell's farm over 700 acres and have a well- deserved reputation as top livestock producers. Upon completion of his Agricultural degree in the spring of 2005 Bobby plans to return to RJ Farms and continue the expansion and regular improvements to the operation.

Perhaps the best way to sum up the life philosophy of this incredibly apt winner of the Nola Brown Continuous Achievement Award is the qualifying wording for an award he garnered in his high school years: "Cheerful, cooperative and hardworking!"

Once again this important award has been blessed with a worthy recipient who displays all the wonderful traits that Nola Brown exhibited as she went about doing good, blessing others and making a real and positive difference in this world!