The Honorary Life Fellow title is bestowed on a past or present FBAA member who has provided distinguished service to the FBAA and more broadly the bloodstock agent profession.
Les Young
Les Young was influential in the establishment of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia (FBAA) in 1988 and was a vital member and mainstay who contributed greatly to the FBAA. He also served as President from 2003 to 2007 and awarded Life Membership.
Les was a highly regarded bloodstock agent with the utmost knowledge and integrity committing a lifetime to the Thoroughbred Industry.
Les was a founding member, life Member and former Vice President of the NSW Racehorse Owners Association and life Member of Thoroughbred Breeders NSW after serving almost 60 years as a member contributing to the daily running of their office for decades.
He served on RIPAC (Racing Industry Participants Advisory Committee) representing breeders and including a term as chairman, was a foundation member from 1995 of the Equine Advisory Committee of the Federal Government’s Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation involved in allocating funding for equine research projects.
Les was a successful owner-breeder, he ran his own sales company, managed the Sydney premiership winning combination of Bob Lapointe, Robert Sangster, and Brian Mayfield-Smith which under the Nebo Lodge banner finally ended Tommy Smith’s 33-year reign as champion trainer, and was an intelligent and influential voice in both owners’ and breeders’ associations.
Among the many outstanding racehorses, he was involved with, Young syndicated Golden Slipper winner Marscay for stallion duties.
He established the Breeders’ Guide column in Sportsman and contributed a Breeding World column to the publication for 38 years until 2017. He was also a regular contributor to Bluebloods magazine and other industry publications.
Les was always forthcoming and was a wonderful mentor to many, never hesitating to give up his time to impart his knowledge to others.
In 2016 Les was recognised with the inaugural ‘Bryan Muschialli Life Membership Award’ which afforded Life Membership to the FBAA and to date is the FBAA’s sole Life Member.
Bryan Muschialli
Bryan Muschialli joined the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia (FBAA) in 1989 until his passing in 2013. President of the FBAA from 1999 to 2003, also serving as treasurer for a period, Bryan was a strong advocate for the FBAA and its members.
Bryan maintained the FBAA brought a new level of professionalism, integrity, and accountability to the thoroughbred industry. Something he was very proud of.
Bryan was a pioneer of livestock exports by air and in his 40 years of exporting some of his achievements included supplying both horses and cattle to the Indian Government; Royal Nepal Army; Sri Lankan Police Force; Jockey Club of Pakistan; Philippines National Stud Farm; Manila Polo Club; the Joint National Stud Farm Thailand; Thai Army; and the Korean Racing Association ultimately established long term ties that our Australian industry remains a beneficiary to this day.
In 2006 Bryan was inducted into the Australian Livestock Exporters Hall of Fame
Bryan was a Member of the Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria from 1970 and served on the Committee.
In 2016 the FBAA established the ‘Bryan Muschialli Life Membership Award’ in his honour.
Tim Stewart
Tim Stewart is not only one of the longest serving members of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents Australia (FBAA), but also one of the greatest contributors in the association’s history.
Tim Stewart and Associates Pty Ltd was established in 1983 and led to a successful Bloodstock Agency and career.
Tim was a foundation Member of the FBAA in 1988 continuing his membership over 30 years up until his retirement in 2021. Throughout his time with the FBAA, Tim held two terms as President: 1993 to 1995 and again for a six-year period from 2007 to 2013, a remarkable commitment.
Tim’s professional contribution and guidance as Chairman of the FBAA ensured the Membership had access to legal Contracts for Sale and Purchase ensuring best practice. Representing the FBAA in his tenure Tim worked with other Industry organizations to ensure drug free racing in Australia.
The FBAA became a much more respected organisation because of his dedication and leadership.
Tim is highly regarded amongst his peers and has been involved in the purchase and sale of numerous top-class thoroughbreds, none more so than Champion racehorse and stallion Pierro, purchased as a weanling for his clients.
A contributor to numerous parts of the thoroughbred industry, Tim has been a successful breeder in his own right and was honoured with being awarded Life Membership of Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria (TBV) in 2015.
David Coles
David Coles was a highly respected Bloodstock Identity and Auctioneer and one of Australia’s most dynamic Bloodstock promoters and marketers in the 1960s onwards, and for many years a highly regarded leader of the South Australian breeding and racing industries. He was the inspirational head of Coles Bros in the emergence of South Australia as a major thoroughbred breeding and sales force, attracting leading buyers from around Australia and overseas to visit the annual South Australian Yearling sales.
David Coles and his staff, including his long-time assistant Reg Angel, was one of the first Bloodstock Auction Companies to meet clients and buyers on their arrival at the Adelaide Airport transporting them to their accommodation, or direct to the sales complex on sale day. The Coles family also had a strong connection to the horse exporters with his ancestors starting with his grand-father Sir Jenkin Coles, who established annual horse sales for pastoralist Sydney Kidman in 1896 at Kapunda, with many of these horses purchased by horse exporters of the day. The horse sales held at Kapunda were some of the biggest in Australia and continued into the early to mid 1900s attracting local and overseas buyers, exporters, buyers and agents purchasing horses for export to India and other overseas countries.
In 1921 David’s father Ross started Coles Bros selling livestock and horses of all types and classes from the company’s base at Kapunda. David Coles followed on from his father Ross heading Coles Bros in the early 1960s and a becoming a true leader in the Australia Bloodstock Industry as mentioned above. In 1968 Coles Bros merged with Dalgety Australia and David Coles managed Dalgety Bloodstock until 1975. Coles Bloodstock combined with Elder Smith Goldsborough Mort to hold the Western Australian Yearling Sales from 1972 to 1979, now presided over by Magic Millions. Dalgety Bloodstock International also conducted Bloodstock Auction sales at the Melbourne Showgrounds on several occasions, with Peter Heagney as auctioneer, and prior to their takeover of Wright Stephenson & Co in the 1979. In 1979 ABCOS was formed with David as general manager for 5 years followed by Adrian Hancock from 1984 onwards, and in 1999 Magic Millions purchased ABCOS.
David Coles was a great teacher and mentor to his employees with many of them going on to be noted bloodstock participants in their future working life, following their tenure with either Coles Bros, Dalgety Bloodstock or ABCOS. The David Coles graduates included his late son Christopher Coles, Peter Heagney, Adrian Hancock, John Foote, Kevin Dagg, Denis Roberts, Neil Bowden, Duncan Grimley, Simon Vivian, David Bridgland, Alastair Pulford, Philippa Duncan, Grant Burns, David Jolly, Bernard Spain, Jeff Gordon, Wayne Hawkes, Adam White, and David Hall.