Exhibiting Poll Merino sheep in the Cox Pavilion during the 2021 Sydney Royal Show was the culmination for a life-long dream for Doug Walker.
"I used to come to the show when I was at school and later when I was jackarooing on Coonong (Urana) and Wood Park (Jerilderie) and that started my interest in showing sheep," he said.
The sheep breeder from Old Junee named his stud Wongara, paying tribute to the Wonga stud, whose studmaster the late Tom Culley, has set the standard Mr Walker wishes to emulate albeit in a modern manner.
Mr Walker had shown sheep at the Great Southern Supreme Merino show in Canberra and he has also picked up awards at the Hay Sheep Show: but in his first trip to Sydney the sashes his sheep accumulated exceeded expectations.
"I have dreamt about being at the Sydney Sheep Show for so long and now I'm here it is a bit hard to take in," Mr Walker said.
He bought his first ram from Mr Culley in 1984 and registered his stud in 2015 on ewes purchased from Robert Harding, Glendonald, Nhill, Victoria.
"I liked the Wonga-type, big and woolly sheep," Mr Walker said.
"And my focus on breeding Poll Merinos is because I think they are the modern sheep - good frames and wool cut but without the problems associated with horns like flystrike."
One ram who has a big influence on his stud and who Mr Walker credits with current success was West Plains Mercenary, the only Poll Merino ram to date to take the supreme exhibit in Sydney.
"He was an impact ram and I have a lot of very good ewes by him," Mr Walker said.
When commenting on the junior champion August-shorn Poll Merino ram (pictured above) medium wool judge Garry Kopp, Towonga. Peak Hill said he had terrific thickness on the skin and with a beautiful outlook.
"His magnificent rich wool is even across the body and carries right through to his belly," Mr Kopp said.
"I would like to see him drop down a bit but that will come as he gets older."
That ram went on to be awarded the medium wool Poll Merino ram grand championship.
Mr Walker took five sheep to Sydney and returned to Old Junee with ten broad ribbons.
- Further reading - Participation in the show by our youth
They included the junior champion August-shorn Poll Merino ram and ewe: grand champion medium wool Poll Merino ram and grand champion strong wool Poll Merino ewe.
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