Sisters seek more success at upcoming Campbell Town Show

MOLLY and Grace Cornish are riding a wave of success with their White Suffolk sheep and they can’t wait to test their stock against the best in the state at the Campbell Town Show next week.

The family farm, Cremorne at Pawtella, near Oatlands, has long been a successful sheep and crop property in the Midlands for owner Daryl Cornish, and with his two girls taking over the stud side of things, its reputation is finding a new high point.

Last year one of their 1923 rams won Supreme Champion plus the first ever Peter M. Williams Memorial Trophy for highest overall score (ram or ewe under 1.5 years).

They followed up with success at the Bendigo Elite Suffolk and White Suffolk Show where they topped the sale with $15,000 paid for one of their rams.

“It was one of the best rams we’ve ever bred, and really we wanted to keep him because he was pretty special, but the price was too good to refuse so we kept some semen to continue the line,” Molly said.

The girls grew up helping on the farm, and now Molly is a livestock agent with Nutrien Ag Solutions and Grace is an agronomist with Elders Scottsdale. 

“We like the White Suffolk because it suits our country, they’re good doers, easy care sheep and versatile – you can put them over merinos or anything really,” Molly said.

“We’ve got about 300 breeding ewes and sell about 100 rams a year.

“Plus we’ve been going to the show with our rams and ewes for the past 15 years, and Dad’s involvement goes back way longer than that.”

Their champion ram from last year is too busy these days to be brought back in for this year’s show although he would qualify for the ram over 1.5 years class.

However, 18 of their best have been prepared for the show, with three rams and three ewes going to Oatlands District High School for the ag students to show.

“It’s a lot of work getting them ready, monitoring their feed and halter training, plus I’ve been helping the students so that they have the best chance,” Molly said.

“We get them there on the Friday, and two of the rams will be scanned to contest the Peter Williams Memorial Trophy –there’s a lot of good sheep in Tassie and that will decide the best of the best.”

Like most farmers the Cornishes like the socialising, showing their sheep and just having a big extended family catch-up.

With sheep and wool a mainstay of the event, the sheep farming community comes out in droves, with sports shear competitions another industry favourite.

The Campbell Town Show will be held on Friday, May 30, and Saturday, May 31 with the gates opening at 8am.

Show president Annie Thompson said that all the classics, the dashund dash, home industries and and craft pavilion, pet parade, AWI fashion parade, Smithfield show and woodchopping will all be there again with some fresh attractions added into the mix.

“RB Sellars CEO Jim Gall will be our special guest and he’ll be speaking and presenting at 1.45pm on the Saturday,” she said.

Entry is adults and pensioners $15, Children 15 and under $5, Under 2 Free of Charge.