Alexandra Bull, Murray Pioneer
The Barmera Sheep Dog Trials concluded on Sunday, with “particularly good crowds” over the weekend.
Around 40 dogs competed over the five days, with 440 sheep coming from around the Riverland.
“It went well,” trial organiser Bob Clark said.
“We had particularly good crowds on Saturday and Sunday, especially all around the oval and they would all clap when a competitor got the sheep through an obstacle, which was really nice.”
Highlights over the five days included the iconic ‘Running of the Sheep’ event down Barwell Avenue, Barmera, and a sky diving tribute to two long-term trailers who had been working alongside Mr Clark for 42 years.
“The skydiver came down with a flag that said ‘Bill and Helen’, and we played a lovely song from The Titanic as he was coming down; that was a real tearjerker,” he said.
“The running of the sheep went well. We had a lot of the people there; the sheep did the right thing and we didn’t lose any.”
The winners of each category were:
- Young Handler – Charlotte Cross working Rivercoe Roy
- Novice – Rex Hocking working Washpool Genie
- Improver – James Cairns working Jones Jeff
- Open – Stefan Cross working Echo Park Bazza
- Trans Tasman – Tom Joyce working Oakdowns Sammy
I just want to thank all the sponsors,” Mr Clark said.
“Smooth Flow Traffic Management, they were a great help. Anything I wanted I got from them, even signs on the road, the whole lot.
“All the local sponsors, they are great. They come up every year and I would like to thank them very much, we couldn’t run it without their support.”
This article appeared in the Murray Pioneer, 12 June 2024.
