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By Andrew Sellars-Jones
The Chandpara Southdown Stud was officially founded in 1988, but its founder, Andrew Sellars-Jones, began breeding Southdowns way back in 1974. Over the years the ewe flock has been kept small, with culling being heavy so as to concentrate on quality. This, in combination with sourcing the best genetics available in Australia and New Zealand via artificial insemination and embryo transfer programs, has resulted in long, leaner sheep with excellent growth rates and muscling. Reflections on the Southdown Sheep breed by George Melano Sr
While on a recent trip to Warrnambool to visit son George to celebrate his milestone birthday, the question of the modern Southdown was an obvious talking point. Having heard a lot about what the modern sheep was like and what he was doing within the showring and being careful not to say 'I remember when' was quickly avoided by an offer to visit Ned Nagorcka of Nedelle Downs Southdowns, a progressive breeder and old school friend of George’s at Hawkesdale. By Lynn and Pam Vearing
In the late 1800's and early 1900's 'Hendon Park', Epping, Victoria was a dairy farm, where they milked 80-90 dairy cows by hand. The Vearing Family (Lynn's grandfather) moved from Mitchelton near Nagambie and bought 'Hendon Park' in 1930. They ran merino wethers. Albert Vearing and his four brothers ran a shearing contract from the shearing shed on the property as it was one of the only shearing sheds in the district. In the early 1940's Albert and Beatrice Vearing (Lynn's parents) started a Southdown Stud and a Dorset Horn Stud. By Jennie Curtis
At Roogulli Farm in the NSW Southern Tablelands, Jennie and Chris Curtis breed smaller-type Southdowns, which are marketed as Babydoll sheep. Sheep breed in the Roogulli stud are sold all over Australia to people running small farms who want dual purpose, easy handling small sheep that are also a bit fun to have around. By Marylyn Stevens
Everything in a living being is centred on reproduction. There are living beings on earth today because other beings have reproduced with desperate eagerness for two thousand million years or more. In the simplest sense the term “breeding” means no more than just reproducing, as a result of a sexual union between two living things of a kind. This is what goes on in the wild, with the environment as the only controlling factor. In this way nature does only a limited amount of selecting because it is only concerned with reproducing and survival of the fittest. Story told by Frank Badcock
Fairbank Southdowns started in 1922 you might say as a result of an accident. My father Vern, at the time a young teenager was kicked in the head by a horse and as a result had a plate inserted in his forehead. Advised not to play sport his father suggested a sheep stud. He himself was already a successful breeder of English Leicesters as was his father before him. |
AuthorSouthdown Australia Archives
October 2020
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