Rodney Stevens
Maclean High School’s champion Cattle Show Team have continued their agricultural show success taking home wins and places at the Brisbane Ekka this month.
Maclean High School Cattle Show Team MHSCST teacher in charge, Chris Kirkland said the school took 15 students from years 10 and 11 (but unfortunately year 12 students couldn’t be involved this year due to exams), and 21 head of cattle to the Royal Queensland Show, known as the Ekka.
From August 3 to 11, Mr Kirkland said the students competed against hundreds of other competitors and took home some prestigious awards.
“Our biggest award was that we got Grand Champion female in the Braford ring, that was the second year running we have got that award,” he said.
“It is a pretty prestigious award, its one that we hold close to our heart because the Braford breed is the school’s own breed, so it’s a nice validation that we are doing a good job of our little breeding program.”
Mr Kirkland said another significant result was second place in the Led Steer Carcass 376kg – 400kg.
“We took seven animals that went in ‘hoof and hook contests’ and that was a pretty big deal because we have never got a ribbon before in the past at Brisbane in a ‘hoof and hook’ contest,” he said.
“Our carcass scored 87 out of 100 which is pretty good.”
Mr Kirkland said the MHSCST had one student from 300 competitors make the final in the parading, which was a fantastic achievement given the level of competition.
The MHSCST exhibit cattle for two Clarence Valley studs, the Aljulie Park Brahman Stud, and the Great Marlow Speckle Park Stud.
“We also got a first and second in class with two Brahman heifers that we took,” he said.
“It was pretty rewarding to get a first and second in class, especially in the Brahman breed in Queensland, that’s their home breed, so it was a pretty big honour to get ribbons for the Brahman breed.
“We took eight Great Marlow Speckle Park cattle up and we had a mixed bag of results, the best result was we got a 3rd in a pair of bulls’ competition, which was a pretty big thing as there was a very strong field of Speckle Parks, there was close to 100 who entered.”
“I would like to thank all of our volunteers, support staff, and sponsors, who helped the team attend the Ekka,” he said.
“The nine-day campaign is probably our biggest achievement as a collective cattle show group and the logistics behind a show like that were big.
“Our students wouldn’t have the opportunity they had without the support of our wonderful sponsors, support staff, and volunteers.”
These are just the latest accolades for the MHSCST, which continues to go from strength to strength every year.
At the 2022 Clarence Valley Sports Awards held in February 2023, the MHCST won Junior Team of the Year.
Then at the 2023 Ekka the MHSCST won four gold, a silver, and two bronze medals.
In both 2022 and 2023 the MHSCST enjoyed success at the nation’s biggest agricultural show, the Sydney Royal Easter Show.