CAMPBELL Town played host to this year’s stud sheep competition as the Royal Hobart Show continued its far-spread 2022 running.
With carnivals, sideshows and woodchopping being held at the Hobart regatta ground in mid-October and traditional animal judging and showing has been spread across most of the south of the state, the Campbell Town showground represented the most far flung of the usual judging events.
Nonetheless, sheep, goats and judgers made their way to the town to show the pride of their flocks.
Border and English Leicesters, Dorpers, Hampshire Downs, Polwarths, Poll Dorsets, Ryelands, Suffolk and White Suffolk, Southdowns and Charollais categories were on offer, with familiar faces and stud names rising to the top at the close of the day.
The Supreme Champion Interbreed Champion group was awarded to the Kirkdale Southdown group of three, consisting of one ram and two ewes.
Kirkdale Southdowns is based in Evandale and is operated by Andrew and Aneika Hogarth, with enthusiastic assistance from the young farmhands and shepherds Cooper and Jack.
The Supreme Champion Ewe was awarded to Marananga Hampshire Down Stud, belonging to Rod Summers of Evandale.
Rod is a familiar face at sheep stud events across the state, with his Hampshire Down sheep no strangers to a ribbon proudly draped across their back.
The Supreme Champion Ram was also named the Supreme Champion Exhibit, a Poll Dorset belonging to Maccelslie Park and Kevin Baker, of Penna.
It was déjà vu for Mr Baker, who breeds and exhibits his rams with the help of his grand-daughter Ruby.
The pair had picked up champion rams in the Poll Dorset, Border Leicester and Southdown breeds in last year’s show, as well as the Supreme Champion Ram and Supreme Exhibit for their Southdown ram.
The show results come at an opportune time for many of the exhibitors, with Kirkdale Southdown and Maccelslie Park both hosting sales in the coming weeks, the 17th and 16th respectively.
Fleeces were also judged over the weekend, with the Champion Ewe Fleece, the Champion Ram Fleece and subsequent Grand Champion Fleece all being awarded to Cluny Merino Stud, belonging to the Bowden family from Bothwell
After 60 years, Ken is a real legend
A TRADITION of the Royal Hobart Show is the annual award of Living Legend of the Show.
The 2022 recipient is Ken Gatehouse who this year is celebrating 60 years of involvement in the show.
Over that time Ken has been involved in stewarding, organising, running and representing the sheep section, one of the oldest sections of the show.
He began his association in 1962 as a steward with commercial lambs, the last year that wethers were shown.
He went on to become the head steward of the section, then took over as chair.
In 2004, he was appointed an Honorary Life Member, and in 2005 he joined the RAST Council as the Stud Sheep Chair.
In his 59th year, 2021, he was presented with an Outstanding Achievement award.
“Ken is one of nature’s true gentlemen, said Scott Gadd, CEO of the RAST. “He exudes calm and addresses any issues before they become a problem. “He is very much the foundation that holds his committee together.”