ROYAL EASTER SHOW 2003: 40TH ANNIVERSARY BRAHMAN FEATURE SHOW

In 1963 Waverley Stud of the Estate of C.W. Wright and Cherokee Stud owned by Mr Lionel DeLandelles and family each exhibited two Brahman bulls at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney. This was the first time classes had been made available for Brahman cattle in Sydney.

Waverley, situated on the coast 800 kilometres north of Brisbane, is regarded as the parent Brahman stud in Australia, having imported purebred Brahmans from the United States in 1933, when 19 head — 9 bulls and 10 cows — were landed by a syndicate of north Queensland cattlemen. Waverley Stud was later purchased by Stanbroke Pastoral Company — Australia’s largest cattle company — to breed their own Brahman bulls, which they continue to do today. Stanbroke Pastoral Company have agreed to be a major sponsor of the feature show.

Cherokee Stud was located for many years at Tanby between Rockhampton and Yeppoon in central Queensland. Cherokee was extremely successful in showing Brahmans through the 1950s and 1960s in both Brisbane and Rockhampton, putting Brahmans “on the map”. Seedstock from Cherokee helped establish many of the best-known studs of today. Their annual sale from the mid 1960s was a highlight of the Brahman breeders’ calendar. Ms Elsie Nicholas, the youngest daughter of Mr DeLandelles, led the Champion Bull, Cherokee L.A. Soberano at that first show. It is hoped that Ms Nicholas will be able to come to Sydney for the celebrations.

1964 saw the first New South Wales exhibitors exhibit cattle at Sydney. P.A. Yeomans and company, best known for its irrigation and machinery business, exhibited both champions. This was to be its only Sydney show, due to the sudden death of Mrs Yeomans who was the driving force behind their Brahman enterprise. It was at this show, that the Brahmin Society Pty Ltd (renamed Mogul Brahman Stud in 1968) exhibited the first NSW-bred Brahmans. NSW-bred cattle were exhibited again in 1965, and in 1966 a NSW-bred Brahman — AS Princess Julie-Ann — was champion female for the first time.

Brahmans have been exhibited at the Sydney Royal every year since 1963. Some years have seen as few as one exhibitor, with other years having up to fifteen or more exhibitors with 80 head of cattle exhibited. Often major Queensland studs have exhibited in Sydney to promote their cattle in New South Wales. Amongst the significant exhibitors from Queensland in the late 1960s and early 1970s was the Walla Stud of the Innes family. It was where Mike and Bizzy Fahey (Innes) of the successful Bizzy Brahman Stud at Copmanhurst near Grafton had their first experience with Brahman cattle in Sydney. The Grampians and Amaroo Brahman Studs of Mr Ron Bauer senior and Graham and Roslyn Bauer were successful exhibitors in Sydney during this time when Brahman exhibits were increasing to record numbers before the beef crash of mid-1974. Lancefield and Tartrus Studs, belonging to Jeff and Graham McCamley respectively, and Wandarri Stud owned by Mick Delroy have all exhibited successfully at the Sydney Royal Show.

The Apis Creek Stud owned by Mrs Maureen Olive and family at Marlborough, north of Rockhampton in Queensland, had a remarkable run from 1990-1992, winning the best exhibit award on three successive occasions, which enabled them to keep the Boothenba Trophy donated in 1969.

One of the most important early NSW exhibitors and promoters of Brahman cattle from 1967 was Mr Michael Lytton-Hitchins of Kyabra Stud. At times Michael was the only exhibitor but when there was competition he was able to exhibit champions. After he had to withdraw from showing due to an accident, many of his cattle won championships for other breeders.

The Kyabra Trophy was donated by him to encourage Brahman showing in New South Wales and is competed for each year. Mogul Brahman Stud has won the trophy fifteen times. The current holder is Bizzy Brahman Stud.

Another successful early breeder was Mylora Stud near Yass, managed for many years by Mr Tony Crossing. Probably the biggest Brahman bull ever exhibited in Sydney came from this stud - Mylora Ironside - Grand Champion Bull in 1981 and 1982. Other significant early NSW exhibitors included the Jesse family, the Battese family, Jill Shipway, Gale Dawson and David Roberts. Earle Bulmer of Casino, who recently became a life member of the Australian Brahman Breeders Association, exhibited in Sydney in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In more recent times a number of breeders from the NSW north coast, where there is a very strong showing of Brahmans at local shows in spring and autumn, have exhibited successfully at Sydney Royal. These have included Bernie Schneider of Taree, the Bagnall family of Gloucester, Les Walsh of Wingham, Yvonne Richards of Tamworth, and Peter Marsh and Max and Colin Johnson of Grafton. The Fahey family’s Bizzy Brahman Stud has been particularly successful at the Sydney Royal in recent years.

The best known breeders to win a championship have been Jenny and Ian Armstrong, who won the Senior Champion Brahman Bull award in 1981 with Doonside Gillespie. Ian Armstrong went on to become leader of the National Party and deputy premier. He is currently shadow minister for agriculture in the NSW parliament. Ian was the second chairman of the NSW branch of the ABBA.

The most successful Brahman exhibitor in NSW to date has been Mogul Brahman Stud, founded in 1959 near Riverstone on the outskirts of Sydney. The stud principal is Dr George Jacobs who, as a fourteen year-old, led the first NSW-bred bull at the 1964 Royal Easter Show. Mogul has exhibited Brahmans at 34 of the 40 Sydney Royal Shows; this year will be their 26th showing in a row. The stud manager, Mr Glen Pfeffer, will be exhibiting his 20th team in a row for Mogul. Glen has had the confidence of his fellow exhibitors for all of those years and has now been Breed Captain for 19 years. The Brahman breed, under his leadership, has won the best exhibited breed on a number of occasions. He is the current chairman of the NSW Branch of ABBA and is a co-opted Federal Councillor.

Mogul Brahman Stud has won over 70 championships in the Brahman breed at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. After winning their first championship in 1965, highlights for Mogul have included winning the senior and grand champion female award in Sydney in 1971, as the forerunner to winning the other east coast grand champion female awards at Brisbane (25th anniversary of the breed feature show) and then Melbourne all in the one year. At the 1984 Sydney Royal they made a clean sweep of all four junior and senior championships, and thus both grand championships. In 1983 and 1994 Mogul won three of the four championships, and in 2000 Mogul won both grand championships. They are the only Brahman stud to win a championship in the RAS Steer and Carcase Show.

The activities at the Royal Easter Show 2003, 40th Anniversary Brahman Feature Show will include the largest display of cattle in a number of years. There will be a specially decorated cattle display and information area, and an educational display in the Schmidt arena on a number of days. A celebration dinner with special guests, past exhibitors and an historical display will be held on Saturday night, 12 April. Judging will take place at 12:30pm on Sunday 13 April..

Dr George Jacobs - February 2003