Winners were hard to split at final judging at 2025 Williams Gateway Expo
A close to perfect day weather wise and plenty to see and do for the whole family saw a good crowd in attendance at the 2025 Williams Gateway Expo last Saturday.
Along with plenty of activities for children, displays, food trucks and fashion shows, there was also action in the ram shed with the annual sheep show and on the shearing board where shearers battled it out to be named the best.
As always the sheep show was well-supported by stud breeders from across the State, resulting in an action packed day of judging for both the Merino and British and Australasian sheep breeds.
Despite concerns in the industry over the past couple of years due to both seasonal and market conditions, breeders continued to show their resilience and like always, there was still plenty of enthusiasm in the ram shed as breeders took a day out to enjoy the company of other breeders and see the next generation of genetics coming through.
With very few pens to spare in the ram shed, the competition was red hot in both the Merino and British and Australasian Sheep Breeds judging rings as the judges made their way through the 121 Merino and Poll Merinos from 15 studs and 158 British and Australasian sheep representing seven breeds from 20 studs.
Continually in both judging rings, the judges were full of praise for the stock presented in front of them and this made for some very close calls when it came to the main awards and this included the highly-regarded Farm Weekly-sponsored breeders' group classes for two rams and two ewes in their respective sections.
When the judges finally settled on their winners in each ring, it was the King family's Rangeview stud, Darkan, which came out on top in the Merino section and the Marwick family's Codji Springs White Suffolk stud, Wandering, that finished in the number one position in the British and Australasian Sheep Breeds judging.
Along with having the honour of winning the classes, they also had to fit an MT-V45 Engel fridge/freezer in with their teams on the way home.
When the Rangeview stud was announced the winner on the Merino mat, it meant it was the second time the stud had won the prestigious group class at the event, the first time it won was in 2021.
The Rangeview team of classy Poll Merinos defeated three other teams in the hotly-contested class which saw the judges go back numerous times to the teams to ensure they got their places right.
Judge Bruno Luciani, Perth, said all four teams in the line-up were very good teams and a credit to their breeders.
"They were very hard to split, as they all had their own virtues," Mr Luciani said.
"In the end we went for the Rangeview team as they were the most even team, they were as close as you can get to peas in a pod.
"They are all very even in their wool and type.
"They all have good barrels, structures and good nourishments in their wools.
"They are a really impressive team."
The Tilba Tilba stud, Williams, finished second with a Merino team, which Mr Luciani said was true to the superfine type, while a Merino team from the Auburn Valley stud, Williams, finished third.
In the individual classes in the Merino judging, it was the Rangeview stud which again shone through and finished on top when an upstanding, fine wool Poll Merino ewe from the stud was sashed the supreme exhibit and champion ewe of show.
The champion ram of show title went to a medium wool Merino ram from the Mullan family's Eastville Park stud, Wickepin.
Like previous years the British and Australasian Sheep Breeds section was very well supported by exhibitors and as a result judges Aaron Foster, Wendenlea Suffolk and White Suffolk studs, Quindanning and Clint Westphal, Wilgarna Poll Dorset stud, Boyup Brook, had their work cut out for them, as they worked their way through the Poll Dorset, White Suffolk, Suffolk, Texel, South Suffolk and Australian White/UltraWhite shedding breeds, before the interbreed competition.
Shining brightly at the top of the pack in the interbreed judging was the Marwick family's Codji Springs White Suffolk stud, Pumphreys Bridge, when it won the coveted interbreed breeders group class for two rams and two ewes for a second time in two years.
Mr Westphal said he was very impressed with the Codji Springs team.
"Both the rams and the ewes are great pairs and you could see the difference between the ewes and rams in terms of masculinity and femininity which is important as well," Mr Westphal said.
"They all had beautiful conformations and good meat characteristics the whole way through.
"Along with being smooth and good on their feet they are all packed full of meat.
"They are certainly deserving winners."
The reserve ribbon in the interbreed breeders group class went to a group of Suffolks from the Cole family's Sasimwa stud, York.
Mr Foster said the Sasimwa group wasn't far behind the Codji Springs group as it was a close competition.
"You want all four sheep to be a similar type with a good pair of ewes and a good pair of rams and that was certainly the case with the Sasimwa team," Mr Foster said.
"This group was true to the Suffolk type and all four sheep had plenty of muscle.
"But what put them just behind the Codji Springs team was there just wasn't enough discrepancy between the rams and ewes, but overall they were a great team nonetheless."
In the single interbreed classes in the British and Australasian Sheep Breeds ring, it was a Poll Dorset ram from the Squiers family's Shirlee Downs stud, Quairading, which won the supreme interbreed ribbon.
The classy ram was also sashed, the champion interbreed ram.
The reserve interbreed ram ribbon was awarded to a Suffolk sire from the Richard Philipps and Sally Larkin's Karinya stud, Boyup Brook.
In the interbreed ewe class the Karinya stud went one better and collected the champion interbreed ewe ribbon with an upstanding young Suffolk ewe.
Standing reserve in the class to the Karinya ewe and taking home the reserve interbreed ewe ribbon was a White Suffolk ewe from the Blechynden family's Southdale stud, Brookton.
