Calrossy students were very excited to be back showing their livestock again with committed Cattle and Sheep Teams heading off from Tamworth in a convoy of trucks, buses, utes and trailers to Walcha Show last Friday and Saturday.

It was a very busy 2 days of competition in the Cattle Section with students competing from schools around Walcha, Armidale and Tamworth along with stud cattle breeders from all over the North West of NSW. Calrossy students performed exceptionally well in the Junior Judging and Paraders classes with many students called into speak on the microphone and a large percentage of our students taking out of places in these competitions. Caitlin Scanlon paraded calmly, skilfully and professionally to take out the Reserve Champion Parader award amongst a strong line up of approximately 80 competitors. It was great to see the growth of parading skills amongst our younger and new cattle team members with special mention going to Chloe O’Brien and Amber Brown.

Our talented Mr Forsyth multi-tasked to judge the Heifer and Steer Show with places going to some of our heifers and the Steer class Championship awarded to Calrossy Toffee, a limousin steer bred by Mr J and Mr A Rodd, Loomberah.

Students busily prepared their 14 head of cattle for another big day of showing against some exceptional competition in the Shorthorn ring on the Saturday taking out championships with Kamilaroi cattle in both the bull and female sections. It was extremely exciting when one of our Calrossy heifers, Kamilaroi Loren Q13 exhibited by Charlie Barber was awarded the Grand Champion Female of the Shorthorn Section and finally the Supreme Cattle Exhibit of Walcha Show 2021. It was a strong and competitive day in the Shorthorn ring with Josh and Logan Evans capably exhibiting their impressively prepared Nagol Park Shorthorn bulls and heifers throughout the 2 days with great success also.

It was as equally a-buzz in the Sheep Section with Calrossy students competing with their stud dorper ewes and rams against a range of sheep studs and schools such as Peel, Walcha and Gunnedah High Schools. Some of the ewes placed with Calrossy’s rams, Buddie and Pablo awarded the Junior and Senior Ram Championships in the Dorper Sheep section against a strong line up. It was very exciting when Calrossy Buddie, a young ram bred at school was further awarded the Grand Champion Interbreed Junior Ram of Walcha Show 2021. Buddie was also awarded Supreme Champion Ram of the Walcha Show. Well done to Eve Daly who paraded Buddie to his success at her first ever show. The 11 Sheep Team students Year 7-9 spent the day tending to the sheep and developing their show preparation and ring craft skills, mentored capably by older students, Cooper Hall and Reilly Blomfield.

A huge thank you goes to Mr Bart Leach, Mrs Kathy deJong and Mr James Forsyth for giving up so many hours of their time to make these rewarding industry opportunities available to our students. We would also like to thank Walcha Show Society for making us feel so welcome and the efforts of the committees to make the days so enjoyable and educational for our students.

Check out more photos from the Walcha Show on the Photo Gallery.