Many people young and old were inspired by Bruce Steel's passion and vision for the Angus breed, and he started in them when they were very unpopular.  During WW2 an underage Bruce had HG Munro from Booroomooka as his commanding officer and had a lot of respect for him. When he came home he decided to start an Angus stud.  He leased and then purchased Ben Nevis off his bachelor Great Uncles and cleared and fenced it all by hand, and sold the rabbit skins for money.  Later he inherited Mingary to form Ben Nevis Grazing Company.

In 1947 he purchased three stud cows from Abington and Ben Nevis Angus was formed. 

Even as Bruce's Dementia progressed in his final year he could still tell us about those now famous cow families- the Geraniums, Dormists, Dorgammers , and Kiwi's.

Ben Nevis went from running 1000 sheep and 36 cows to today 800 cows.  It was Bruce's pride and joy along with his cattle and border collie kelpie cross dogs..  Ben Nevis was the 3rd property in Walcha to have super and pasture improvement, where they tripled their stocking rate.  In his diary he says the 1964 drought was the hardest.  They got 10 inches in January and 14 for the year.  It was clover dominant and all the clover dried up and blew away leaving dust.

He was at the pub when he found out Yalgoo were going on the road.  He and Tom Brady went home and mustered the sheep and had them on the road at 2am, just passing the Yalgoo gates in front of their mob.  He stayed on the road for two years making many friends…..but maybe not the guys from Yalgoo.

In the Angus breed Bruce and Cherry Steel went on to earn the love and respect of their fellow Angus members and cattlemen and women in general.  Bruce was chairman of the New England Angus breeders and was instrumental in the start and development of the successful NEAB Show and Sale and the famous Tocal Beef Cattle Judging School.

He was also Chairman of the NSW State Committee, and was awarded an honorary life membership of the Angus Society of Australia.  In addition he was both a Director and Chairman of the PP Board, now known as LLS for a period over 25 years from 1964-1989, a role he relished.

Bruce judged cattle all over the country from Kendall to Sydney Royal, and was highly respected.  He most enjoyed the camaraderie with other judges, and notes his favourite people to judge with as Mary Reid- Narangullen, Margaret Gunn- 7 bar dot and Sue Francis- Ondiong.... all ladies of course!

Ben Nevis was incredibly successful as an Angus stud winning Champions at Brisbane and Sydney Royal and Interbreed Champion at the 2008 EKKA as well as topping weaner and bull sales in the New England.  Bruce was a colourful character around the show circuit and always enjoyed a beer with a mate.

Bruce Steel was incredibly kind and generous in educating and helping young people in the beef industry.,. In the 60's he and three fellow Angus breeders donated the foundation females to start the Farrer Memorial High School Angus Stud..  Bruce donated one of his precious Kiwi's and she would become such a star for the school that they held a red carpet benefit in her honour when she was 14.

Most notably Bruce and his wife Cherry ran  junior heifer shows and in 1988 ran the first ever Angus Youth Roundup in Toowoomba which today is the most successful and well known junior beef event in the country. In 2007 as a couple they were awarded the inaugural Stewarts Award for service to youth in the Australian beef industry.

 Ben Nevis continues today as one of Australia's oldest Angus stud's and is run by Bruce's daughter Erica Halliday and her husband Stuart.

Bruce is survived by his wife Cherry , daughters Julie, Kylie and Erica, 7 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.