The Kings School has won the Noel Williams Shield for the highest scoring Angus school steer carcase at the Sydney Royal Show for the second time.
Bred by Milong Angus stud, Young, the shield-winner weighed 574 kilograms on the hoof and was purchased by Wingham Beef Exports for 305 cents per kilogram. It scored 89 points over the hook and received a silver medal in the heavy weight school steer class.
Second time winners, The Kings School based in Parramatta, annually exhibits up to 10 steers including a number Angus steers supplied from studs in NSW.
The Noel Williams Shield was created by the NSW State Committee of the Angus Society of Australia for the highest scoring Angus steer entered in the schools section of the RAS Steer and Carcase Competition. It was first presented as the PIBA Shield in 1994.
Schools who have previously won the shield include; Abbotsleigh, Barker College, Chevalier College, Downlands College Toowoomba, Dubbo High, Hunter Valley Grammar, Karabar High, Scone Grammar, Scone High, The Kings School, Knox Grammar, The Scots School, and Xavier College.
To continue the memory of Noel Williams and his untold work for the youth and the school steer competition, Reiland Angus Stud from Tumut and Gundagai, for many years have kindly sponsored the shield with prize money.
In 1982 the RAS started a competition where if a school had a stud, they could enter their steer in the RAS school steer competition.
In 1984 the late Noel Williams, the owner of the Berry Mountain Angus Stud, Berry, his South Coast business partner, Bruce McIntosh, the NSW State Committee, and a number of other people including the late Norman Lethbridge were delivering and sourcing steers to NSW schools for entry to the competition. Mr Williams had for many years paid out of his own pocket expenses incurred by the schools.
Prior to 1984, school steers at the RAS Hoof and Hook Competition, steers were judged in the open classes of the competition.
Well known Sydney Royal supporters, Wendy and Des Stubbs, had been involved in the supervision of students on the showgrounds since 1956. It was the initiative of Mr and Mrs Stubbs, who approached RAS Councillors in 1986 to create the first stand alone RAS School Steer Competition.
The Noel Williams Shield, like the Norman Lethbridge Award, encourages youth in agriculture from all backgrounds and aims to ensure the future of the beef industry is giving opportunities to explore their horizons.
During the Angus Feature Show at the 2019 Sydney Royal Show, Reiland Angus stud will increase the prize money to $500.