Regular competitors at Merino shows across Australia Drew and Laura Chapman from Hinesville Merinos and West Plains Poll Merinos, Delegate, NSW, have not entered sheep for competition during the 2019 Australian Sheep & Wool Show at Bendigo in July because their youngest daughter is an associate judge.
Twenty-two-year-old Jackie Chapman is in her honours year studying Agricultural Science at the University of Adelaide but she has still found time to compete in junior judging competitions whenever she can.
Ms Chapman came to notice within the Merino community when she successfully competed at the 2016 Royal Adelaide Show in the senior section of the Len J Anderson trophy for young judges.
She returned to take part in the 2017 competition, but only to hone her skills prior to representing South Australia at the National Young Judges Final held during the 2017 Royal Melbourne Show.
Ms Chapman was a finalist and was placed fifth, with the results between each place only one point.
The tradition of judging Merino sheep runs deep in the Chapman family, with her grandmother Marie successful in the first competition she entered.
Marie was steeped in the tradition of Merino breeding from a young age.
At the time, judging Merino sheep was a male-dominated world and Mr Chapman said his mother's entry at the Horsham Sheep Show as a 13-year-old caused some controversy.
"My grandfather John Hines made Mum's entry which was questioned by the organisers," he said.
"But there was nothing in the regulations to stop Mum from entering so they had to let her compete."
It is believed Ms Chapman, who grew up on the Hinesville stud, Marnoo, founded by her father John Hines was the first female to enter and win a junior judging competition.
Further to her grandmother's success, Jackie's mother Laura has also successfully competed in junior judging competitions, winning at the 1992 ASWS when it was held in Melbourne.
Laura was also a state finalist competing at Sydney in 1996 where she was placed second while she was looking after her two young daughters.
Not to be outdone, Jackie's sisters Kelly and Emily have also competed successfully in young judging competitions, with Kelly a NSW state finalist in Merino, fleece and beef cattle judging at the Sydney show.
Working alongside her parents in the yards at Delegate, it was not surprising Jackie showed an interest in breeding Merino sheep and time spent with the Bolt family on their Claypans Merino stud, Corrigin, NSW, in Western Australia further stimulated her appreciation of the Merino.
Even though Drew and Laura will not be competing in the show ring this year, they will have a display of their young Poll Merino rams at Bendigo.
Mr Chapman said the beauty of having sheep at Bendigo was that the "whole of Australia is there".
"It is a great opportunity to display our sheep and with the exposure to a lot of people Bendigo allows the comparison of a lot of different rams," he said.
"We have also had a lot of success with our sale rams at this amazing event."
The Hinesville stud exhibited the grand champion medium wool ram at the 2018 event but this year the Chapman family will have 16 Poll Merino rams, March-shorn and August/September 2017 drop on display.
