It is full steam ahead for Scone Grammar School as it prepares for the Royal Queensland Show, better known as the Ekka, for the first time in over 15 years.
Taking three steers and 11 students across the boarder for the competition, Scone Grammar's agriculture teacher Tayla Miller is excited to get the students out and about.
Miss Miller, in her second year as the school's agriculture teacher, said the school stopped showing at the Ekka many years ago due to a change in teaching staff, but she had been working hard to have the program up and running again.
The three steers being exhibited by the school were Limousin cross, with two from DGP and Brooker, Rouchel, and the third from year 10 student Clayton Porter.
Students that had chosen to study the subject were able to attend the excursion, but Miss Miller said they had to work hard and prove they were interested in attending the show before they were selected.
Miss Miller said the students had been coming to the school during their holidays to work on the cattle before the show. She also said there was a large mix of abilities and backgrounds of the students with some who have been around agriculture their whole life, and others who were "brand new".
With many Royal shows occurring around the same time, Miss Miller said she had chosen the Ekka because it was one of the biggest cattle shows in the country, especially in the steer competition.
"It just gives you that rural feeling just on a larger scale," she said.
"We are also exhibiting stud cattle so the kids get that opportunity once the steers go, to do the stud side as well which not many schools are able to do."
The students will be showing Simmentals, Charolais and Angus from Blue Gene Cattle Company, Parkville, and Destiny Angus and Charolais, Willow Tree.
"We have got heifers, bulls, and a cow and calf, so they get to experience working with those too," Miss Miller said.
The students will also compete in the junior paraders and junior judging at the show with the school entering a judging team of three, and a herdsman display.
"I think that is why we go to Ekka as well, because they don't have to qualify, every kid gets the opportunity to have a go," Miss Miller said.
"The students are all really excited."
Since starting the show team back up, the school has had great success receiving the reserve overall champion steer, grand champion parader, and grand champion herdsman, all at this year's Wingham Beef Week.
The school had also won the champion junior judging team at Maitland Show earlier in the year, and the champion steer at the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza last year.
Also attending the Royal show next week with steers will be the Inverell-based Holy Trinity High School and St Josephs High School, Aberdeen.
