Attention once again turns to Campbell Town for the Campbell Town Show, said to be the longest running agricultural show in the British Commonwealth and in the southern hemisphere.
Undoubtedly, this is the showcase of the best fine and superfine wool sheep in Australia.
Too often we overlook the significance of the wool industry here, but it is certainly on the way back. Today Tasmania exports about $24 million worth of wool every year and China is by far the biggest buyer at $20 million. So the markets have changed and the value is returning.
One of the reasons that Australian concentrated on wool rather than sheepmeat production in the first place was the tyranny of distance. In the early days of the colony we could export wool but not meat and so we set about establishing the best wool in the world and that was centred here.
The Campbell Town Show dates back to 1838 with the establishment of the Midlands Agricultural Association (MAA). Through its history one can trace the genetics of Australia’s best Merino flocks from such studs at Winton, Kenilworth and Trefusis. And it is clearly not coincidental that the leadership of the Midlands Agricultural Association traces the same genetic path.
The current president is the fifth John Taylor (Winton) to have held the position. His vice president David Taylor (Kenilworth) will become the sixth of that name to be president. Georgina Wallace (Trefusis) is not only a past president of the association, she was recently elected president of the Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders, which represents1000 registered merino stud breeders. So the bloodlines in all senses of the word are on display at Campbell Town.
So vital was the superfine Merino industry to the Australian economy that when John M. Taylor tried to enlist in 1939, the government of the day ruled that he had to stay at home to continue the important breeding program at Winton.
It is interesting that the original committee that formed the MAA had 11 members and the families of nearly half of them are still living and farming in the district today.
In 1963 the Campbell Town Show’s prestige was lifted even higher when Italian Count Ermenegildo Zegna, a leading buyer at the time, presented his first perpetual trophy for the best superfine skirted Merino fleece. It could be from a ram, ewe or wether, of one season’s growth from anywhere in the world. The first winner was Mount Morriston at Ross. That sponsorship ended in in 2009 and replaced by the New England Wool trophy for a Merino fleece of 18.5 microns or less.
The show also features Corriedale and Polwarth breeds. As well there are commercial sheep competitions, sheep dog trials, junior sheep judging, shearing exhibitions, show jumping, wood chopping, a pet parade, trade exhibits and children’s entertainment. The exhibition hall features entries in home cooking, preserving, agricultural produce, floral displays, photography, arts and crafts.
So, if you are reading this in time, take the opportunity to head to Campbell Town today or tomorrow and celebrate the achievements of a great Tasmanian industry.
TFGA president Wayne Johnston
