Young Shropshire breeder discovers family's early connection to the breed

Eighteen-year-old sheep breeder Rebecca Walsh established her own stud when she was 13.

In 2020, Ms Walsh was encouraged by her mother Nikki Neilson to take up two ewes and a ram of Blue Hill stud Shropshires from her uncle and establish a new stud, Acorn Creek.

"Bec started it up and made up the name herself," Ms Neilson said.

"During Covid, I thought Bec needed something to do and we needed to keep our minds off all the bad things going on, so we took on some sheep from my uncle who is breeding our late grandfather's stud."

Ms Walsh said she and her mum worked together to manage Acorn Creek stud Shropshires and now had five ewes and rams at their Timor farm.

"I can't really wrap my head around the books side of it, but Mum has figured that part out, and we help each other out," she said.

Little did Ms Walsh and Ms Neilson know that their family's Blue Hills stud was established in Australia in 1905 by her great-grandfather.

The mother-and-daughter duo only found out how far their family's links to the breed went back three weeks before exhibiting the Acorn Creek Shropshires at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo.

"My uncle owns the Maldon Pub and I went there to have a meal, and on the wall was a black and white picture of a man standing out in a paddock," Ms Neilson said.

"So I asked my uncle about it, and that's how I found out he was one of my distant relatives and how I found out my great-grandfather bought Shropshires to Australia in 1906.

"I knew we had a link with the Shropshires, but I didn't realise how far back it went."

At the ASWS, Ms Walsh won the ribbon for reserve champion ewe against Aurora Park Shropshire stud.

She said the competition was close this year.

"The ewes were really picked apart by the judges this year, and it was really close between reserve and champion this year," she said.

"It's more about the positive feedback we get every show, and each year, we know that we're improving."

While Ms Walsh said she didn't know how long she'd be breeding the Acorn Creek stud for, the stud would continue in some form.

"I might want to continue rousting, and Mum might continue the stud," she said.

"It'll probably keep going whether I keep it or not.

"I want to keep them going so they're not forgotten.

"And we'll try to keep improving the bloodlines."

Ms Walsh said she took an interest in breeding Shropshires due to the sheep being small and easy to tame, as well as their meat quality.

"They're pretty hearty, little sheep," she said.

"They don't take a lot of food to keep them going, and they produce good meat.

"We've now got five rams and five stud ewes, and we're lambing at the moment."