PHOTO: George Macrae with award-winning heifer Sistergirl.
Isobel and George Macrae showed everyone how it’s done in the Led Steer Competition of the Royal Queensland Show at the Ekka in Brisbane on 6 and 7 August.
Isobel (14) and George (12) won several titles along with their two steers and one heifer.
George attends the Coonamble Public Primary School and Isobel the Armidale Presbyterian Ladies’ College (PLC) who released her to attend the agricultural show.
“They’re always mucking around in the yards, playing with their cattle,” dad Adam Macrae said.
“I just wanted to push them out of their comfort zone. We really valued the experience it would give the kids from the cattle being born, right through to the show ring and be involved in every asset of that.”
They came second in the junior-led steer with their steer Broseph on Tuesday 6 August. He also won reserve champion.
Their junior heifer Sistergirl got second in the junior heifer-led steer competition on Tuesday as well.
‘Dollar’ came in fifth in the open lightweight steer division on Wednesday.
The children named the cattle.
“Broseph has an older brother called Dude.”
Dollar and Broseph are pure Limousins and Sistergirl is Angus and Limousin cross.
The cattle were raised on the Macrae’s property and fed with the family’s grain and hay mix.
“I’ve been to Brisbane for years and years and it just always gets better. It was amazing. Definitely worth going” Dad Adam Macrae said.
It was the first time, the Macrae family competed together at the Ekka.
Siblings Barney (8), Audrey (10), Jordan (16), and Oscar (16) helped prepare the cattle as well.
The children all learned a lot from being around other competitors.
“I think we’ll be able to take more than three steers next time,” Adam said.
There were over 300 led steers at the show from Victoria, NSW, and Queensland.
The family stayed for five nights in Brisbane arriving on the 3 August after a nearly 12-hour drive.
“Isobel and George did all the leading. I didn’t do anything. It was all them”
Their Reserve Champion sold for $16.50 per kilo.
The family also went to Upper Hunter Beef Bonanza in Scone a few years ago where they won champion and reserve champion lightweight.
Adam said they hope to take five or six steers to the next show at the Glen Innis Beef Extravaganza from 13 to 15 September.
“The kids were already arguing about who leads what on the way home.”