In his 40th year showing cattle at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, Red Cactus Red Poll stud principal Ross Draper celebrated the milestone by securing a swag of ribbons in the ring.
Mr Draper first began breeding Red Poll cattle in 1970 and said his enjoyment of showing in the Sydney arena was what kept him coming back.
"When I was a little kid I always wanted to show cattle, so that's how I got into stud cattle," he said.
"I grew up with them, my parents used to run a commercial herd, and then I wanted to show them so that's why I started my stud, and it's just grown from there basically.
"The first year I came to the show was 1981and there was only four Red Poll's here, and I thought, well that's not very good for Sydney Show.
"So, I brought two up here that next year, and I've exhibited every year since then."
Since then, Mr Draper said he has seen the number of Red Poll's exhibited in Sydney rise and fall, but the breed was currently on the up, with more than 40 entries in this year's competition.
Young handlers are often seen leading Mr Draper's cattle around the show ring, and he said investing in youth programs was the best way to continue the growth of both the Red Poll breed, and the beef industry as a whole.
As president of Stud Beef Victoria, Mr Draper has been an advocate for the industry for many years, helping to run youth camps and events, always inspiring the next generation along the way.
"I've always got young ones who'll work for me and help me out," he said.
"It's really, really good to see a lot of them pursuing positions in vets and other parts of the industry.
"They run a Red Poll youth camp up at Glen Innes, which has been going for about 10 years or so, and a lot of these young ones who have been showing today started at that.
"We've also got a few kids who have come up from near home as well, so that's very good."
Mr Draper said he had no plans to exit the ring anytime soon.
"I'll definitely be coming back to Sydney," he said.
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