Published since 1986
JANUARY, 2020
Wild dog plan success
Beef Week PAGE 10
www.farmernews.com.au
Fire awareness and prevention PAGES 11-13; 16-18
PAGES 22-25
Black sheep in the Mangione family By EMMA OLIVER
EYES ON THE PRIZE: Murray Van der Drift from Black Diamond Speckle Parks cleaned up at the Royal Geelong Show, taking not only Junior Champion Speckle Park Bull but also Junior Interbreed Champion. With ribbons presented by Jasmine Green and Hayden Green, these accolades are just confirmation that Speckle Parks are a breed for the future. This Beef Week, Murray is encouraging any who are interested in the breed to make the journey to the family farm in Macorna and learn what makes the Speckle Park a great addition to any commercial herd. Turn to page 18 for the story.
MARILYN Mangione’s grandparents on both sides were farmers working the land in the Clyde and Cranbourne region. Marilyn’s mother as a child always had to work on the farm with her older sister, and both declared at coming of age that they would never marry a farmer. Luckily, Marilyn’s father was also suitably disinterested, declaring to his parents that he didn’t want any part of it either. And though other family members did stay on the farm, Marilyn’s parents did not, and Marilyn was raised in a suburban home with her heart, like those of her grandparents, in the country. It was in 1999 that this yearning for a rural lifestyle was realised in the purchase of 66 acres in the lush green tablelands of the Strathbogies. Initially a weekender, Marilyn ran Wiltshire Horns, chosen for the convenience of not having to shear or crutch them. But with plans to retire on the property, she became concerned that they were too
big and strong to handle on her own, and Marilyn began to consider alternatives. An unexpected phone call from the owner of the now dispersed South Windrest Shropshire Stud in Bittern, determined the new direction Marilyn would take. “The gentleman said ‘I have a lady who I sold a ram to, and she’s not well and she needs to sell up’,” Marilyn recounted the conversation. “‘She wants him to go to a good home’ was the explanation.” So Marilyn put her hand up, and picked him up, along with a ewe and a wether, and Clarendon, as was his name, became the foundation ram and the namesake of Clarendon Stud. Six years old when she got him, Clarendon lived to the ripe old age of 11, and facilitated the phasing out of Wiltshire Horns to be replaced with Shropshires. That unexpected phone call was a fortuitous moment, as Marilyn believes she had always had the breed in the back of her mind.
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Continued page 6
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