In an outstanding achievement for the Tamworth-based school, students from Calrossy Anglican School and their cattle have come away with three of the top prizes up for grabs at the Sydney Royal Easter Show this past week.
Calrossy Cyclone, led by Regan Banks, has been crowned both the prestigious titles of Grand Champion Steer and Heavyweight Champion, whilst Calrossy Storm, paraded by Eve Maloney, was awarded Lightweight Champion.
Cattle team leader, Regan Banks, said she’s still in disbelief.
“We knew we had a chance; we just didn’t believe it,” she said.
“It was pretty exciting.”
The time, effort and dedication that goes into preparing cattle for shows is no small task, especially for champions like Cyclone and Storm.
“Cyclone’s 16 months old, he weighs 658kg and he had an EMA (Eye Muscle Area) of 121.” Regan said.
“Which is pretty phenomenal,” Kathy de Jong explained. “That’s a huge area, that’s where those rib-eyes and T-bone steaks, come from.”
Kathy is the director of primary industries at Calrossy Anglican School and manages the 240-acre farm twenty minutes out of Tamworth. In other words, she wears multiple hats as a wrangler of both animals and students.
“We’ve got 14 students here from Year 9 to 11, and four of them have qualified for the state junior judging finals in beef cattle,” she said.
This year, students also created a themed educational display focusing on how weather affects agriculture – complete with a wool cloud, rain and a miniature farm scene. The theme is also where the names of the steers have come from, such as Cyclone, Storm, Tidalwave and Weatherman.
However, the steers are not the only stars of the show with five students taking the beautiful Calrossy bred heifers into competition, two students in the fruit and vegetable judging, one student in the grain judging and one in the fleece judging on Monday morning.
The days are long – the team is onsite by 6.30am most mornings and finishes up around 7pm – and the work doesn’t stop when the Show ends.
“I love my job and the school is very supportive of me, but it does take a lot of hours and holiday work,” Kathy said.
“It’s school holidays right now and I’m down here with the kids, but it’s what I enjoy and I’m passionate about teaching the next generation of agriculture.”
For students in Calrossy’s Primary Industries, the show ring is just one part of a hands-on curriculum. Year 11 students, like Regan Banks, help manage the entire school farm – feeding livestock, monitoring animal health, maintaining pastures and fences, and preparing the show cattle.
“The number of kids getting involved now is amazing,” Kathy said.
“Some afternoons we have close to 100 students out on the farm.”
The school consistently sees impressive academic and agricultural results, too. In recent years, students have achieved top state rankings, particularly in primary industries, and earned certificates that help them land jobs in the industry.
However, for some students, those jobs can be found right where they started.
“I graduated two years ago and came back to help the team – checking cattle, preparing them for the ring, answering any questions the kids have and making sure everything runs smoothly,’ Georgia Bailey said.
“At the Show, we’re washing, blowing, we’re putting product in, making sure the cattle look the best, it’s a big process but really rewarding.”
With their time at the Sydney Royal Easter Show not yet over, the Calrossy cattle team is already gearing up for their next big event: Wingham Beef Week.
“Beef Week’s a great experience for the kids because they learn to identify different cuts, judge different carcasses, and see where the end products go.” Kathy said.
“I love the kids to breed the cows and calves and then go through the whole process all the way to the abattoir.”
“It’s a real paddock to plate kind of thing, to broaden their minds and see which area they’d want to work in future.”
Whether it’s on the farm, in the classroom, or in the show ring, Calrossy’s agriculture students are proving what’s possible when passion meets opportunity – and they’re only just getting started.
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