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CORNWALL SIMMENTAL CLUB 2006 REPORT
by Penny Lally
Yet another busy
year for our club. On valentines day we met up with the south Devon
club for a meal and a game of skittles proving as popular as ever
with a great deal of friendly rivalry. In may ,viv hall and myself
went to the Devon county show. Viv won with her young cow and calf
which was handled later in the junior handlers class by John Mays’
son Andrew. He won his class and went on to be res. Champ. Young
handler. My bull Corskie radium won and was breed champion. He then
went on to win the interbreed pairs with the mills’ cow, lavender ,
and also supreme beef champion , i believe it is quite sometime
since a Simmental had the honour of leading the parade (even though
the red mud was ankle deep thanks to much rain and the royal
artillery!!)
The royal Cornwall enjoyed hot weather and huge crowds. We had a
reasonable show of Simmentals but we need more to keep the classes
going. Our judge roger birch sampled Cornish hospitality as did the
interbreed judge Billy Macpherson. Corskie radium was breed champion
and just missed doing the double by being res. Interbreeds champion.
Viv hall, Kevin Hawke and James berry were Cornwall club members who
were prize winners. We were pleased to welcome a welsh invasion in
the form of Gethin and Enfys lloyd. Their bull won his class and
went on to be sold at Perth in October for £8,000!! I think they
enjoyed their visit to the friendly show. Our club stand was a
success once again being a place to sit and chat having a cup of tea
and a piece of cake. Thanks to Heather Parr and all volunteers
especially Charlie Harris who gives up his precious free time to
help put the stand together. The stand is an ideal opportunity for
any members to advertise their herds.
In July we hired a small bus and went on a visit to the Priorton
herd of john and Katrina may. We arrived on a beautiful day to be
greeted by the family in their walled garden for coffee. We were
then shown the free range chicken enterprise where the birds are
raised from chicks to a certain weight when they are collected by
the Lloyd maunder chicken catchers!! The fully automated system was
most interesting. We then climbed on trailers to see the cattle.
They all looked well in the sunshine as did the herd of ruby reds.
This was followed by a wonderful lunch. We then got back on to our
bus and went off to Dartmoor to visit john and Dianne Jordons’ farm.
This was a fascinating insight into the special lifestyle and
knowledge needed to farm on Dartmoor. We saw South Devon’s and
Balloways with the most amazing views as a backdrop, wonderful on a
sunny day but harsh in the misty winter. We were shown prize Texal
rams and stunning Dartmoor pony stallions followed by tea, a lovely
day out, enjoyed by all.
In august we had our usual evening herd visit and BBQ. This year it
was at the farm of vet Andrew parker who is new to our club. He
showed us his collection of cattle including two Gloucester cows and
a Limo Bull (we will have to sort that one out!!)We had a brilliant
evening enjoying our walk around his farm and then were treated to a
superb BBQ. Much thanks to him and his family.
In September we organised a trip to the other end of the country
from us, Scotland. We visited the herds of; Blackford, Corskie,
Delfur and Drumsleed, and also a visit to glen grant whiskey
distillery. We had a magnificent trip, busy but enjoyable. We saw
terrific cattle and amazing scenery, this is how it went;…
Scottish trip
We thought we’d go to Scotland to see how things were done
We like a trip away, a chance to have some fun
This year we’d fly from Bristol, this choice we had to make
For Newquay in the fog is a risk we could not take!
A dozen Welshmen joined us, keen to come along
(with Cornishmen and Welshmen, we might even get a song)
Our first call was to Inverness, the Blackford herd to see
Such awe inspiring cattle, followed by some tea
Billy and his family, masters of their trade
Quiet and charming people, well ahead, it must be said
Next day was a full one, Corskie our first stop
Big strong cattle everywhere, we were like kids in a sweet shop
Fields of lovely females, rows of bulls for Perth
We’ll follow them with interest to see how much they’re worth
Ian green arranged for us, to go, after our lunch
To glen grant whiskey distillery, this motley ‘Celtic’ bunch
**we toured around with interest, sampling with some glee
Then met up with our next host, the Delfur herd to see
So many, many Simmentals in fields of luscious green
And the most amazing scenery that many of us had seen
Douglas Barr, the Delfur manager, took us ‘round the huge estate
His enthusiasm catching, so we did not leave till late
Field after field of cattle in groups of fifty plus
We could fill a lorry to take some home, the most of us
The stockman, jim, was jolly, laughed and chatted well
But what he actually said ,none of us could tell!!
A super tea then followed, the boss, Edward was there
A lovely afternoon, nearly dark when we left there
We were then to drive to Aberdeen, some then lost there way
We were getting tired and teasy trying to find our place to stay
We all turned up, exhausted, had a meal then tried to sleep
And lay there counting Simmentals instead of counting sheep
The weather had been perfect, but the rain came down next day
Then, a drizzly drive to Drumsleed on our final day away
The smiths were very welcoming, and showed us ‘round with pride
The enormous admiration for their beasts, we could not hide
Yet more magnificent females and young bulls looking grand
No wonder Scottish cattle are admired throughout the land
We sadly had to leave, to Edinburgh to drive home
Our happy convoy heading south without a single moan
The welsh and Cornish clubs were treated to a feast
Of endless, super Simmental, those most beautiful of beasts
The Scottish hospitality and stockman ship supreme
Sent us home, our eyes opened to try achieving what we’d seen
**p.s. glen grant will be remembered for more than just one drink
Some of us will know, what i mean, i think!!
In October the East Anglian club visited us. The Hurns, the Filbys,
the Clemments ,the smiths and Dennis Mitchell were given a tour of
the delights of the far south west. They visited 5 Simmental herds,
1 ruby red Devon herd, and 1 Aberdeen angus herd. They saw the
stunning outdoor Minack theatre on the cliffs at Porthcurno,
wandered around St.Ives like tourists and learned all about the
perils of tin mining by going into Geevor tin mine (slightly
claustrophobic it must be said !!)We enjoyed showing off our special
part of the country, being so very different to East Anglia with
fields as big a some of our farms with our small enclosures. We are
always happy to show any other clubs around, it is a good way to
make more friends with the same interests and to exchange ideas.
But, do remember, you need a passport to fly to Cornwall (or any
where else in Britain) as Norman and Margaret smith will tell you,
they had to spend an uncomfortable night on Friday 13th travelling
to Cornwall from Stansted on a coach as they forgot their
passports!!
Our club decided to have our own herd competition for the first time
this year which proved most successful. It was organised by Roger
Pascoe and judged by Hugh Lello. It was great to see so many members
taking part especially 2 new members, Kevin Thomas and John and
Bridget olds, who won prizes.
Results;
Large herd:1.Viv Hall, 2 Steve and Gill Gummow, 3 James Berry
Small herd: 1.Penny Lally, 2 .J and B Olds, 3. Jim Buckland
Best cow: 1.Penny Lally (thanks!) 2. S and G Gummow 3 .J and B Olds
Pair heifers: 1.James Berry. 2. Penny .Lally, 3. Kevin Thomas
Bull calf: 1. Barrie Wynter 2.viv hall, 3. Penny Lally
Commercial: 1. Adele &mark James, 2.v. Hall, 3. Kevin Thomas
I have had the honour of being voted on to council, i would like to
thank all who voted for me and will do my very best to represent
members, especially those with small, herds like myself. Please
don’t hesitate to contact me if there are things you wish to be
brought to the attention of council. Remember, pass on the passion,
and tell everyone how great Simmentals are.
Penny Lally (chairman)
Click here to read the 2005 report
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