Picture gallery Melbourne Royal Show: Students reign supreme

A lamb ram bred by Riverina students has won the top honour at the 2023 Melbourne Royal Show. See all the pictures and winners here.

Tallis Miles

@tallis_miles

4 min read

September 26, 2023 - 3:24PM

The Weekly Times

First look at the Royal Melbourne Show showbags

The Finley High School has built on its growing reputation as prominent sheep breeders, taking out top honours at the 2023 Melbourne Royal Show at the weekend.

On Saturday the school went one better than last year securing the interbreed grand champion ewe and ram with their top Poll Dorset entries. Their lamb ram Ulysses secured the supreme title.

Last year the school won the interbreed champion ram, but missed out on the ewe and supreme titles.

Finley High School agriculture teachers Gary Webb and Robin O’Leary said they had brought about 30 students along with six rams and six ewes down to Melbourne for the weekend.

Ulysses was destined for success this weekend, winning the supreme Poll Dorset champion on Friday.

Fletcher Cozens, 6, with his Dorset Down lamb. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Finley High School was the only breeder to enter sheep for the Poll Dorset breed, but Mr Webb was confident their winner could show strongly in the interbreed competition.

“Ulysses was an unusually exceptional ram. He would’ve shown well anywhere,” Mr Webb said.

He also said the students were to be commended for their commitment to training and learning new skills during their breeding program.

Meanwhile, the Hay Memorial High School’s Aberline White Dorper and Dorper Stud in the NSW Riverina secured the supreme champion in the Dorper and White Dorper exhibit.

Led by Year 10 student Chrissy Murray the White Dorper ewe called Anther won her category.

Hay War Memorial High School’s Molly Edmonds, Chrissy Murray and Issy Murray. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Teacher James Caughey said the school hedged its bets by entering Anther as she was lambing at the time they were submitting entries into the show.

Macedon breeder Deva Weitman won her first Royal Melbourne Show supreme title on Friday scoring the top prize for Suffolk, the feature breed of the show.

Deva Weitman and Grant Nelis with the supreme Suffolk. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Operating the Blue Rock Suffolk stud alongside her husband Mark Clement and daughter Nova Scotia, a shocked Ms Weitman was crowned with the supreme title winner.

Waterton South Suffolk stud principal Chris Hampton from New Zealand judged Ms Weitman’s two and a half-year-old ewe, which had two lambs at foot, the supreme winner ahead of Derrinallum’s Deppeler Suffolk stud.

Deppeler stud co-principal Doug Deppeler’s ram was judged the champion Suffolk ram of the show.

Mr Hampton said in his judging Ms Weitman’s supreme ewe showed the best qualities of the Suffolk breed.

“She has a true Suffolk head, which flows through to a long neck, clean shoulder and a great spring of rib,” he said.

“That’s followed on with a very-good loin and hindquarter.

“You could stand behind the sheep and see the wedge on the narrow shoulder through to the wide hindquarter.”

As the feature breed, there was a strong level of competition including last year’s winner Andrew Lakin from Allanwood Suffolks near Lancefield.

Mount Moriac breeders Grant Nelis and Shelley Hedwards of Lamont Park secured the reserve champion Suffolk ram.

Meanwhile John Sutherland at Sayla Park Suffolk, Kilmore, secured the coveted Ram Trifecta title during Saturday’s judging.

The $1600 in Ram Trifecta prize money was split with $1000 awarded to the Suffolk Sheep Breeders Association Victoria while Mr Sutherland was awarded $200 per winning ram.

Ryan Bechaz and his supreme champion Hampshire Down ram. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Mornington Peninsula farmer Ryan Bechaz secured a supreme champion victory at the Melbourne Royal Show on Friday, taking out the top prize in the Hampshire Down breed.

Mr Bechaz’s ram Ralphsmith, named after Richmond cult hero Hugo Ralphsmith, was the winner, edging out renowned Western District breeder Boonong Park.

Mr Bechaz, of Mulley Park, said he was ecstatic with the win.

“He finished third in Bendigo, so I wasn’t sure how he was going to go,” he said.

“I haven’t been looking after Hampshire Downs for long - I only have two, Ralphsmith and his mother. I run mostly Black and Coloured sheep.

Helen Raven with her lamb she managed to rescue by feeding by hand. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

“I got the genetics for this one from Boonong Park, who won the ewe champion.

“They have been great at helping me and introducing me to the sheep show industry.”

The champion ewe was won by Kane Hildred and his Mortlake based Boonong Park Hampshire Down stud.

Mr Bechaz also had Royal Show success in the Black and Coloured sheep as the Langwarrin breeder won the champion Black and Coloured ewe and lamb.

Waterton South Suffolk stud principal Chris Hampton from New Zealand judged the Hampshire Down contests.

Anne Barber, from Werowna Park, Yass, NSW, with her Black and Coloured supreme champion. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

Southern NSW producer Anne Barnes of Werowna Park, Yass, won the supreme title with their grand champion ram.

The Black and Coloured victory was Ms Barnes second in a row at the Royal Show and added to the champion ram title won at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo earlier this year.

Following her victory Ms Barnes said she was thrilled with the result.

“It is always good to come to Melbourne. It is just good to come here for the competition,” she said.