TINTERN Grammar and the Australian Sheep and Wool Show are both celebrating their 140-year anniversaries this year, so it’s fitting that the two are connected.
The farm has been around for half of that time, since the school relocated from Hawthorn to Ringwood East in 1952, and in that time, has been an outlet for many students to immerse themselves in agriculture.
Australian Sheep Breeders Association president and Tintern Grammar farm facilitator Gavin Wall currently runs the farm at Tintern, which he took over in 2002.
“The farming program has gone through an evolution of different commodities, from cattle, to sheep, pigs, poultry, and even pigeons,” Mr Wall said.
“And in 1986, they established a Romney stud, which they’ve been running ever since.”
A man of many commodities himself, Mr Wall put himself forward to run the program as a way to pass his knowledge down to the younger generation.
“I’ve farmed all my life, and I saw the opportunity to continue using my expertise and knowledge to teach students about a diverse range of farming enterprises,” he said.
He said there are 30-40 students in the Young Farmers Program, who spend their lunchtimes helping out on-farm, which is located on-site.
“Once they’re in year seven, they can become a member of the program, and they’re the ones that prepare the sheep, and go to the shows,” he said.
“The extra-curricular work is entirely up to them, there’s no compulsion to do it, but they all just love it.”
Mr Wall said they have competed in the Sheep and Wool Show for about 25 years, where 25-35 students show their sheep every year.
“I know the show ring isn’t everything, but it’s an avenue where the students can experience what it’s like to show sheep at a show, to present themselves, and to know what a good sheep looks like,” he said.
“When the students take sheep to a show, they take a lot of pride in presenting themselves and the sheep as best they can.”
Mr Wall said Romneys became the breed of choice at Tintern Grammar three decades ago after a shearer discussed the opportunities of the breed with students, and in that time they have gone up and down in popularity.
“After the wool price crashed, I believe Romneys fell out of favour because their wool wasn’t overly rewarding during those drought years, so some farmers forget their advantages,” he said.
“Now that’s starting to turn around, and they’re becoming popular again.”
He said there are many benefits to the breed.
“They are very resistant to foot rot, and internal parasites, that can be very advantageous to farmers,” he said.
“I’ve also had a lot of phone calls from people sick of chasing sheep around who do arithmetic, put three down and carry one.
“There’ll be strains of Romney that are better than others, but anyone who knows the breed, knows they’re ability to handle wet conditions.”
He said it is a challenge to get everything right, but that is what they are striving to achieve.
“It’s a real challenge to breed good wool with Romneys who have black feet and noses, their ears tend to lose their cover when they have black points, and the wool isn’t going to be as good,” he said.
“We’ve been selecting to improve the whole basket of traits that I see as desirable in sheep, but it’s a slow process, if you’re just focusing on wool, you might lose carcase attributes, and vice versa.”
Mr Wall said with all of this taken into consideration, the highest priority is getting students involved and interested.
“We’re trying to achieve lots of positive outcomes, but without the sheep, the school wouldn’t be what it is today,” he said.
“We’re really proud of what we have here.”