BRENDA and Jim Venters have ended showing their Liberton Corriedales, Stonehaven, on a high note, taking home a collection of broad ribbons at this year's ASWS and being named most successful exhibitor.
With their team of 17 head, they won the national pairs competition, as well as the junior champion ram, junior champion ewe and reserve junior champion ewe.
Mrs Venters said they had made wonderful friends, including through the strong schools teams, since they began showing at ASWS in 1989.
"There comes a time when there's a bend in the road," Mrs Venter said.
They plan to continue running the stud.
Richard Archer, Quamby Plains, Hagley, Tasmania, defended his supreme exhibit title, winning it this year with a rising three year-old ram.
Judge Ian MacKinnon, Glen Esk, Conara, Tas, said he was impressed by the truly dual-purpose ram, which had good size and carcase attributes for meat production and exhibited the lustre and deep crimp of good Corriedale wool that spoke to the breed's Lincoln-Merino heritage.
Mr Archer said the ram's wool measured about 29-microns.
Mr Archer said the ram's first drop of lambs was due next month, and if they displayed their sire's excellent confirmation, they would be welcome additions to the family's 3500 commercial ewe and 450 stud ewe operations. Mr Archer has clients throughout Tas, Victoria, South Australia and NSW, and even sells "the odd ram or semen" into South America.
The Corriedale breeders continued to support young people coming into the industry by holding hotly contested junior competitions.
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The main winners including Flinders Christian Community College taking out the supreme school's exhibit with a two year-old ewe named Lulu.
There were about 150 participants in Corriedale junior judging competition, of which the winners were Olivia Atkinson, Tintern Schools, in the 13 and under age group; Zac Liley, Yanco Agricultural High School, NSW, in 14-15 age group; and Emily Attard, Flinders Christian Community College, in the 16 and over age group.
Grace Calder, who works for the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources as a lamb industry development officer and established the Kinatura Corriedale stud in 2010 was named the national young Corriedale ambassador.
