He was rescued from a watery grave the day he was born but has now gone on to take out the all-breeds supreme champion stud beef exhibit at the North Coast National Show.
Coolibar Magnum, a 15-month-old Simmental bull from Guyra, showed now signs of his dunking, beating the best of 21 breeds at the Lismore show last week.
It was the middle of winter last year with snow on the ground at Sandy and Gary Morgan’s property when Mrs Morgan went out to check on cows and their new born calves. “I approached one calf, he jumped up, took one look at me and raced straight into our dam,” Mrs Morgan said.
“I took off my gum boots, beanie and jacket and went in after him but couldn't find him.
“Then I felt him with my feet, pulled him out of the freezing water by his back legs, banged him on the chest and after about 10 minutes he sat up.”
The rest is history. The youngster has not made a mistake since by also taking out broad ribbons at this year's Guyra and Inverell Shows at only seven-months-old on his way to Lismore and the Simmental feature show.
Judges Stephen Hayward (Allora), Richard Duddy (Tamworth) and Kelly Runzer (Goondiwindi) threw out the rule book – with the stewards' permission – by abandoning the regular pointscore system in favour of a discussion between them to plonk for Magnum as their all-breeds star.
As their spokesperson, Mr Runzer described the Simmental bull as “perfect”.
The final score for the Morgan family's team of three was junior and grand champion Simmental bull, best breed exhibit and junior champion female.
Their overall champion was up against a Brangus as all-breeds senior champion bull, Weona Foreman, from the Bulmer family stud at Leeville; a Charolais cow and calf as all-breeds senior female, Laurie and Blake Tillman's Palmview Fantasy Smokin from their Palmview stud at Cedar Point; and the junior female contender, a Limousin Oakvale Maddy owned and paraded by 14-year-old Georgia Perkins, Corndale.
She was earlier sashed overall winner in a 26-head junior heifer show.
Maddy was a purchase from Don Riley, Coonabarabran, earlier this year to kick start Georgia's own Labella Park stud that now boasts of four animals.
