CONGRATS, CONGRATS, CONGRATS! to TLSC Berkeley Vale Campus for the success in achieving not one, but TWO place-getters in the Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza’s carcase competition!
Jandrew PARKES placed 4th in his Light Middleweight class, beaten by a Limousin, and two Limousin crosses. Notably, he placed 2nd in his class for marbling, ranking equal 7th out of 137 purebred and cross-bred Light Middleweight exhibits. Not a bad result for the first steer out of Jandrew’s developing Miniature Belted Galloway strain, and the first Mini-Beltie to compete in the Scone comp. He left the school at 421kgs, and after transport shrink, weighed in at the comp at 393kgs.
The show occurred in the midst of a wild and very unpleasant dust storm that hampered everyone’s effort. Nonetheless, I was really impressed with the maturity and conscientiousness of the TLSC students – their behaviour and attitude at working things out and getting things done – in the absence of teachers and very supportive (fun!) parents – was remarkable to watch, to their credit. Nev – you’re doing a great job teaching with great bunch of students 
🙂
Congrats to Maddie, who was Parkes’ handler and leader for the show. You have done so well, and you are still so young! Great to know you’ll be at school for a few more years yet – what else will you achieve! Well done.
Thanks to Jess, Year 12, no nonsense mother hen to the student group, who showed what a great responsible leader she was. TLSC won’t have her next year as she goes out into the world. I suspect though, Jess, you might just have drop in to check that things are still happening to standard. I hope you continue cattle showing and an ag interest in the future. Thanks for everything!
The person I would like to thank the most is young Emily, also finishing Year 12, and who for the last two years has been a great Beltie carcass supporter, and my reliable information source. Emily always keeps me up to date with photos, progress and steers stats. She is an intelligent, professional and reliable girl, she thinks about things, and like Jess, I hope, Emily, you continue your ag work in one form or another. Whatever you choose to do, I suspect you will do it well. Thanks for your enthusiasm and dedication to the job.
And thank you Simone for your continued interest in the Belties. Every Beltie Jandrew has supplied to Scone has done something significant to display the carcase value of the breed in a very competitive environment. Remarkable, given that mostly there has been only one Beltie exhibit each time among 400 of other mainstream breed exhibits to achieve this (and this time, with a miniature).
Very grateful.
Information and photos from Jandrew Belted Galloways.