Gippsland connection wins grand champion Holstein at 2023 International Dairy Week

Gippslanders Alex and Darien Mathews and Maree and Jason Deenen took the award with Avonlea Stanleycup Evie, a cow they bought together at the Avonlea dispersal sale in 2021.

It was another triumph for Avonlea genetics, which has been behind the Australian grand champion cow three times in the past 15 years.

Mrs Deenen said she had admired Avonlea Stanleycup Evie as she was coming up through the shows and was keen to buy her when she was offered for sale.

Mrs Mathews said Mrs Deenen was a good friend, so when they went to the Avonlea sale and both wanted the same cow, they decided to go in partnership.

The friends own several other cows in partnership - with the Deenens looking after the Holsteins in their herd at Leongatha, Vic, and the Mathews family looking after the Jerseys in their herd at Mardan, Vic.

Mrs Deenen said she loved the dairyness and beautiful wedged shape of the champion.

"She's the kind of cow I look for - good uddered, level floor, beautifully wedge-shaped cow," she said.

After attending IDW for many years, she said she was thrilled with the win.

"I've been dreaming about this for 25 years," Mrs Deneen said.

Mrs Mathews was also thrilled to win the award with one of her own cows, after years of leading cows for other people.

"This is sort of the first year we've showed our own cows," she said.

"To spend all my time showing for other people and to bring pretty much our first Holstein exhibit ourselves and win was amazing."

She said she admired the Avonlea genetics, having spent most of her time at IDW in the past working with those animals.

"If I was not going to breed her myself that's where I would have wanted to get the genetics from," she said.

CHECK OUT OUR INTERNATIONAL DAIRY WEEK REPORTS:

SHOW REPORTS

SALE REPORT

AWARD WINNERS

Judge for the show was New Zealander Warren Ferguson and associate judge was fellow Kiwi David Fullerton.

Mr Ferguson said the five cows they had shortlisted for the senior award were amazing.

"All I can say is wow," he said.

"These are the cows we've been looking for all day.

"They've got strength, they've got character, they've got those beautiful udders and they're just full of quality."

He said he loved the balance and clean bone of the champion.

"This cow just oozes quality, she's super, super dairy," he said.

A South Australian stud took out the intermediate champion award for the second year in a row.

Bec and Rob Walmsley, Robsvue, Myponga, SA, hadn't been able to attend last year's event when they won due to COVID-19 border restrictions.

"So to be here and do it again is special," Mr Walmsley said.

The Walmsleys bought Lightning Ridge CMD Doc Bamba-ET as a calf from Lightning Ridge Genetics in 2020.

The cow is a Kingdoc, out of a Solomon, out of a Sid and goes back to the famous Canadian cow Jacobs Goldwyn Brittany.

"It's a cow that we'd always admired and we'd always just wanted to get in on the family, and we took the opportunity," Mr Walmsley said.

"They are the type of cows we want, we don't want super extreme cows.

"We are big fans of Kingdoc as well, so to get that cross when that opportunity came up, we just jumped on it."

Mr Walmsley said they milked 300 cows on pasture-based system in SA.

"So there's a fair bit of walking and a fair bit of hill walking," he said.

"So we try to breed balanced functional cows, so for them to come out to a show like this and compete, it's nice to see how the breed is going."

Mrs Walmsley said Lightning Ridge CMD Doc Bamba-ET was a no-fuss cow.

"We calved her in and she's just kept developing and we're excited for her future," she said.

"She's just one of those dreams cows that does everything for you, she milks hard and she is honest."

The couple hope to show the cow at the Victorian Winter Fair in Bendigo in the middle of the year.

Mr Ferguson said there was one word he would use to describe the cow and that was balance.

"I mean you look at this cow from nose to tail and she's just extremely balanced," he said.

The owners of the junior champion Eclipse Perennial C Princess bought her just a month ago, after watching her impressive show performances in 2022.

Brad and Jess Gavenlock and Murray and Jane Polson bought the heifer from Richard Hull, Eclipse Genetics, Jancourt East, Vic.

Eclipse Perennial C Princess had been looked after and prepared for showing by the Gavenlocks and had won her class at IDW, the Sydney Royal and Victorian Winter Fair last year.

"We've liked the heifer for a long time and decided about a month ago we'd better find our whether we could make her ours," Mr Polson said.

"She's from the Princess family.

"It's a family that needs no introduction in Australia."

Mr Polson said the friends had been watching the family for a long time and it was well represented in the class results at this year's IDW in both the Holstein and Red and White Holstein shows.

"It's a hell of a family, that's for sure," he said.

Mr Ferguson said he and Mr Fullerton were looking for animals with dairyness but also strength.

"The heifer we've given champion, I think she is the complete package," he said.

"She's just so clean, she's so dairy."

CHECK OUT OUR INTERNATIONAL DAIRY WEEK PICTURE GALLERIES:

Grand champion: Avonlea Stanleycup Evie, J&M Deenen & D&A Mathews, Leongatha South, Vic

Senior champion: Avonlea Stanleycup Evie.

Reserve: View Fort Brasilia Saturday, View Fort Holsteins, Tarwin, Vic.

Senior best udder: View Fort Brasilia Saturday.

Intermediate champion: Lightning Ridge CMD Doc Bamba -ET, Robsvue, Myponga, SA.

Reserve intermediate: Avonlea-YF Sunlight Connie, Gorbro Holsteins, Cohuna, Vic.

Intermediate best udder: Avonlea-YF Sunlight Connie.

Junior champion: Eclipse Perennial C Princess, B&J Gavenlock & M&J Polson, Tallygaroopna, Vic.

Reserve: Elm Banks Moovin Lulu, Eastview Holsteins & Elm Banks Holsteins, Tallygaroopna, Vic.

Junior premier breeder: Lightning Ridge, Sale, Vic.

Junior premier exhibitor: Joint winners: Gorbro Holsteins and M & L Flemming, Newry, Vic.

Premier breeder: Avonlea Holsteins, Nar Nar Goon, Vic

Premier exhibitor: View Fort Holsteins.

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