The Catholic Agricultural college Bindoon Cattle Club Show Team spent two weeks prior to the Perth Royal Show tirelessly preparing the show cattle team. The
team consisted this year of two heifers and four steers. The team is usually a lot larger with extra heifers, bulls and cow/calf, but due to unforeseen circumstances
it was only two heifers this year. The weeks were spent packing, clipping and washing the animals as well as practising for the junior judging and parading competitions.
Whilst the students are at the show, part of their job is not just to show the cattle but also look after them. Students are required to wake at 5.30am to muck out cattle beds, re-sawdust them and feed out. During the day, besides showing cattle, the lanes have to be swept and cattle beds maintained. At around 4pm the cattle beds need to be mucked out again and cattle fed before the students retire for the evening and getting some well earned rest.
On Friday Sept 28 all CAC Bindoon students competed in the student paraders competition. Brumby Forrester placed 2nd in the first division and Georgie Lathwell placed 4th. In division 2, Tekiasha Hart came out on top with a 1st place, closely followed by Jacob McGrath in 2nd place. In division 5 Derrick Whittaker placed 3rd and Christine Stephens placed 2nd in Division 6. All students competed exceptionally well and a special thank you to Tungamah Speckle Park for allowing some students to lead their cattle.
Saturday was the first day that the Show was open to the public. It was a quiet day with students only participating in the Grand Parade and Christine Stephens
competing in a clipping and commentary competition. The results are not in from that competition but Christine’s team did very well and are in with a good chance of
winning. Sunday September 25 was a busy day with all the steers being washed and blow-dried before being taken into the ring to be judged before the steer auction
on Monday. At the same time that this competition took place there was also a paraders competition, where the students were judged on how they presented those
steers and themselves in the ring. It was well done to Christine Stephens who placed first and to one of the steers that placed 4th in the medium weight division.
Tuesday was the actual shorthorn judging and speckle judging. Both the shorthorns and speckle park did well in their classes.
The last day of competing for the students was the Wednesday and the State finals for parading and judging. Out of the 23 participants in the State Paraders three
of our students Derrick, Christine and Tekiasha were selected in the 8 finalists. Christine Stephens placed an overall 3rd. When it came to the State Judging
competition they ran a junior judging in conjunction, with one of our youngest students Brumby placing 2nd. The students of CAC are a credit to their teacher Abi Lindsey who runs the Cattle Club program after school every afternoon. It has been a fantastic Royal that this team of dedicated hardworking students have shown their skills and come home with quite a few ribbons and prize money. We have the Bindoon Show on the 15th, which will be our last show for 2016 and I am sure the students are all looking forward to the 2017 show season.
