Canberra Royal 2025: 'Darling' entry beats brother in Valais Blacknose judging

There was some sibling rivalry in the Valais Blacknose judging with brother and sister vying for the title of supreme - with the older sister just getting up.

Alora Unique, one of the early Valais Blacknose bred in Australia, just pipped seven-month-old ram lamb Alora Van Halen at the post.

Judge Kelvin Cronk, Old Junee, said the two rams were a similar type, with good bone structure, and in the end it came down to "infinitesimal differences" and minor issues, which gave it to the ewe.

He said the ewe was a "very good example" of the breed with good meat to bone ratio.

In the judging of the champion ram, it came down to a junior and older ram.

Mr Cronk said the two were "nearly identical" but since the ram lamb was younger, it had the edge as a consequence of its growth and development for its age.

Exhibitor Alicia McConnell, Alora Prestige Stud, Dubbo, was the first Valais Blacknose breeder in NSW.

She works for an artificial breeding company and had been following the breed for the past seven years.

"When the first genetics arrived in Victoria, I knew it could be done and I imported some too," she said.

"I thought 'why not', it's something different."

While the breed is originally from Switzerland, the genetics were sourced from the United Kingdom, with Alora Unique one of her two earliest drop females.

"She's a little bit special," she said.

"Her paddock name is Darling - she's just a sweetie and loves people. Nothing phases them."

The stud has about 45 sheep all up, with the focus on building numbers and getting the genetics right.

This was her second time showing at Canberra, with her taking the opportunity to learn from others in the industry.

"I'm still learning and the judge's comments help," she said.

Ms McConnell said they had about three bloodlines in the stud, and were working with other studs across Australia to diversify and get the breed off to a good start.

The Valais Blacknose Australian breed society has about 60 registered members across the country, also offering a breeding up program.

While in its native Switzerland, the Valais Blacknose is treated as a dual-purpose breed, in Australia it faced more competition in both those spheres.

"They don't have the variety that we have here," she said.

Instead, Ms McConnell said her largest target market was predominantly AirBnBs.