Jono Nicholls, Keegan Manwaring, Megan Pellow and Jane Fitzgerald will be off to Sydney for the Royal Easter Show in March. They are pictured with one of the steers to be auctioned off for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute (left) and a heifer (right) which took out the Champion Superior Female category at the Gundagai Show on the weekend.
The Murrumburrah High School (MHS) Farm Club have gotten off to a cracking start on the show circuit for 2016, taking out the Champion Superior Female category at the Gundagai Show last weekend in the run up to the Sydney Royal Easter Show in March. The students at the Farm Club have been busy preparing the show cattle for a number of events in the coming weeks, with the Club going to the Royal Canberra Show this Friday. Canberra will be followed by Boorowa on March 4th, and the Sydney Royal Easter Show from March 13 to March 20. A key responsibility of the MHS team is to prepare the Schute Bell Steer for auction, the proceeds of which goes to the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. Both of the steers in the running for this year’s auction, Laurie and Lane, are Simental steers from Wormbete Simental Stud in Illabo, with one of the two chosen for the auction itself. The other will be auctioned in the regular sale at the show.
One of the students charged with preparing the steers is Jono Nicholls. Jono has made a tremendous recovery since undergoing Atrial Valve Repair surgery in October last year, and its perhaps fitting that he is preparing one of the steers that will raise money for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute. “He is doing really well,” said MHS Agriculture teacher, Jan Young. “We prepare two steers for the auction just in case something happens to one of them.” The Simental steers will also be joined by a number of Murray Grey steers, who were jealously watching the two Schute Bell auction steers and Wormbete Kate, who took out the Champion Superior Female Title at the Gunagai Show last Saturday. “They want to be part of the action,” said Jan. “They all have different personalities.” On the subject of personalities, Jan had glowing words for Jean Chapman, who made significant contributions to the MHS Farm Club. “She has had a huge effect [on the students] and still does,” said Jan. “She has supported the Farm Club from the start.”
