THE students of St Lawrences Primary School, Coonabarabran, took charge in the Dorset Horns judging at the Sydney Royal Show prime lamb judging.
The sheep they showed on behalf of Bimbadeen Park stud, won champion ram and ewe.
The ram was from the under one-year-old ram, showing milk teeth, shorn class, while the ewe came from the under one year old showing milk teeth and shorn class.
Lawrences Primary School principal, and owner of the Bimbadeen Park stud, Terry McGoldrick, said the students enjoyed being at the Royal.
For many years, he and his wife Sue have given the students of the school lambs from their stud to take on.
He said from term four the year 5 and 6 students break the sheep in, feed them, and then start showing them the following year.
Mr McGoldrick said both the champion ram and ewe came from long show bloodlines.
He showed his first sheep at Sydney Royal in 1988.
In the past few years he has worked on an artificial insemination program in the stud to help bring in new genetics, as Dorset Horn genetics were often hard to source.
Semen from an old Dorset Horn stud at Mulgundawa stud, South Australia, and Tattykeel stud were used in the program. Both the champion ram and ewe came from these new bloodlines.
The school brought 17 sheep to show across Dorset Horn and Poll Dorset breeds.
Kim Chappell
Editor of Farming Small Areas.
Editor of Farming Small Areas.
