MOTHER and son duo Marie and Drew Chapman are sticklers for tradition when it comes to the Australian Sheep & Wool Show (ASWS).
Ms Chapman, who turns 80 this year, has a perfect record of attendance since she was 13 – she hasn't missed a show in 68 years.
While her son, who's now at the helm of the family's Hinesville Merino and West Plains Merino studs, at Delegate, on the Monaro, NSW, has attended the event most years since he was four-years-old.
This year the Chapmans will show two rams and display some of their leading stud sires including the supreme exhibit from the Sydney Royal – West Plains Mercenary.
Fellow stud breeders would be relieved to hear that Mercenary – a poll ram – was retired from the show ring after he went on to be shorn at the Sydney Royal and win the Merino objective measurement competition.
Mercenary would be promoted at the Bendigo event as a semen sire, with his semen already sold to every state in Australia.
Mr Chapman said he was yet to decide what else would be displayed, it was dependent on "what was looking the part at the time".
In the show ring they will exhibit Hineville Pharoh – the reserve grand champion medium wool Merino ram at Sydney Royal this year, and another medium wool August-shorn Merino ram will have its first outing at Bendigo.
Mr Chapman said his family for four generations had continued to be strong supporters of the ASWS – through its various incarnations.
"The beauty of Bendigo from a Merino point of view is that it's truly a national event with breeders and sheep from every state," Mr Chapman said.
"Between the sheep that are shown and what is displayed there are not too many players in the industry that aren't there."
Mr Chapman said sheep shows were a good place to benchmark genetics against other studs.
"Showing sets the breed standard, when you get out there in the line-up you work out pretty quickly what you are lacking and where you need to lift your standards to for when you come back next time," he said.
Mr Chapman was also a strong supporter of objective measurement classes at shows.
"Objective measurement shows the production level of the top sheep, but you still have to have the right sheep visually to match the figures," he said.
The Chapmans moved their studs from near Deniliquin in south west NSW to Delegate in 2002, but still hold a production sale in the Riverina every year.
Their studs measured an average wool micron of 19.2 for adult sheep and hoggets measured about 17 micron.
Mr Chapman and his wife Laura sell over 100 rams annually and have been in the top four Poll Merino semen sellers in NSW for the past four
