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The Gunnamatta Gazette
Issue: 13/4/08 We've just enjoyed a fun filled day at the ABC in Ultimo, filming a segment for the New Inventors programme to be aired on 14th May, 2008. A shearer in Tasmania has developed a animal restraint to assist when shearing and, at the last minute, the producers of the show thought it might be a good idea to have a live alpaca in the studio. Despite an extremely long day in unfamiliar surroundings Gunnamatta Iceman behaved himself and hopefully won the hearts of the audience. Alas the device did not win on the day, but hopefully the exposure may generate some interest in our industry.
Issue: 12/4/08 In a fit of enthusiasm we went a wee bit overboard with our entries for the Hawkesbury Ag Show (Natasha Clark). Having just completed two "Royal" shows with entry fees of about $50 per animal, the cost of entry to Hawkesbury seemed a real bargain so we went a tad over the top with a team of eleven! 3rd Junior Female (Light Fawn) - Gunnamatta Angeline 1st Junior Female (Fawn [M/D]) - Gunnamatta Rochelle 2nd Junior Female (Black) - Gunnamatta Witchery 2nd Intermediate Male (Fawn [M/D]) - Gunnamatta Jericho 1st Adult Female (Fawn [M/D]) - Gunnamatta Valentina 3rd Adult Male (White) - Gunnamatta Pierrot 3rd Adult Male (Grey/Roan) - Gunnamatta Thunderbolt 2nd Senior Female (White) - Gunnamatta Chanel Reserve Champion Senior Female - Gunnamatta Chanel
Issue: 25/3/08 Following the cancellation of the last shows for 2007 we were keen to get back into the ring this year and decided to try our luck at both the Canberra and Sydney Royal Shows. It seems we were not the only ones - both shows had double the usual number of entries. To each we took a team of eight, but for reasons of logistics had to change some of the individuals. Given the number and quality of entries we were pleasantly surprised by our results: Canberra Royal 2008 (Natasha Clark): 2nd Junior Female - Med/Dark Fawn (Gunnamatta Rochelle) 2nd Junior Male - White (Gunnamatta Andre) 2nd Intermediate Male - Med/Dark Fawn (Gunnamatta Jericho) 1st Adult Female - Med/Dark Fawn (Gunnamatta Valentina) 2nd Senior Male - White (Gunnamatta Iceman)
Sydney Royal Easter Show 2008 (Jill MacLeod): 2nd Junior Female - Light Fawn (Gunnamatta Angeline) 2nd Junior Female - Black (Gunnamatta Witchery) 2nd Intermediate Male - Med/Dark Fawn (Gunnamatta Jericho) 1st Senior Female - Med/Dark Fawn (Gunnamatta Valentina) 2nd Adult Male - Grey/Rose Grey (Gunnamatta Thunderbolt)
Issue: 1/09/07 Really disappointed to find that the remainder of the Spring Season has fallen foul of the equine flu. Hopefully the National will not be effected - we'll just have to wait and see. By way of compensation we were very chuffed to find Gunnamatta Marconi adorning the cover of the September 2007 issue of Small Farms magazine. Guess like many other Baby Boomers we were hoping for the cover of The Rolling Stone, but this will have to suffice!
Issue: 18/8/07 A glorious Spring day was enjoyed at the CC/H Show at Wyong Racecourse. Numbers were down, but a quality field was presented to judge Darrell Bishop. The Gunnamatta Team did its stuff and managed 1x Champion, 2 x Reserve Champions, 4 x Firsts and 1 x Third.
We entered a team of five: 1st Junior Male (Fawn [M/D]) - Gunnamatta Jericho Reserve Champion Junior Male - Gunnamatta Jericho 1st Intermediate Female (Fawn [M/D]) - Gunnamatta Valentina Champion Intermediate Female - Gunnamatta Valentina 1st Intermediate Male (Grey) - Strathclyde Campbell 3rd Adult Male (White) - Gunnamatta Iceman 1st Senior Male (Grey) - Gunnamatta Marconi Reserve Champion Senior Male - Gunnamatta Marconi
Issue: 10/8/07 For logistical reasons the annual show at Mudgee, our "home away from home", was transferred to Bathurst. On a day that promised snow the Gunnamatta Show Team braved the elements and, under judge Darrell Bishop, came away with some handy results, given the quality of the field:
1st Intermediate Female - Fawn (Medium/Dark) (Gunnamatta Valentina [SMF]) Reserve Champion Intermediate Female (Gunnamatta Valentina [SMF]) 1st Senior Male - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Marconi [MG]) 2nd Intermediate Male - Grey/Roan (Strathclyde Campbell [MG]) Shown on behalf of one of our agistees. We were particularly happy with Valentina's broad ribbon, to go along with her Reserve Champion Junior Female at Castle Hill 2007.
Issue: 24/6/07 Our Champion winning boy, Gunnamatta Sheldon, has recently been sold and is currently at stud in Victoria. Also in "Mexico" now is Coonawarra Shogun who we jointly owned with Westwood Alpacas.
Issue: 29/04/07 The drought managed to take a rest just in time to turn the 2007 Hawkesbury Ag Show into a mud bath. Fortunately, due to The Shed, proceedings were able to take place with a minimum of fuss and Richard Watson was able to judge some 180 odd exhibits.
We entered a team of seven and were pretty happy with the results: 1st Junior Female (Grey/Roan) - Gunnamatta Verona 1st Junior Male (Grey/Roan) - Strathclyde Campbell 1st Intermediate Female (Fawn) - Gunnamatta Valentina 2nd Adult Male (White) - Gunnamatta Iceman 1st Adult Male (Fawn) - Gunnamatta Shamrock 2nd Senior Male (All Other Colours) - Gunnamatta Marconi
Iceman's result was particularly pleasing as he was in a class of nine an ran a close 2nd to the eventual Champion Adult Male. We were also happy with the 2nd for Marconi, given that he was in a class with a SLF boy who was later awarded Reserve Champion Senior Male.
Issue: 9/04/07 The annual excursion to the Royal Easter Show is over for another year. With entries from all over Australia the competition was fierce. We were therefore delighted to walk away with 3 minor placings. Sydney Royal Easter Show 2007:
4th Intermediate Female - Fawn (Gunnamatta Valentina [SMF]) 3rd Junior Female - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Verona [DG]) 3rd Junior Male - Grey/Roan (Strathclyde Campbell [MG]) Shown on behalf of one of our agistees.
Issue: 20/3/07 And so our show season begins. Castle Hill was our first venture for the year, and we're very happy with the results. Castle Hill 2007 Reserve Champion Junior Female (Gunnamatta Valentina [SMF]) Reserve Champion Intermediate Male (Gunnamatta Pierrot [SW]) - beaten by eventual Supreme Champion 2nd Adult Male - Fawn (Gunnamatta Shamrock [SMF]) 1st Junior Female - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Verona [DG]) 1st Sire's Progeny (Gunnamatta Glenrowan [MG]) Congratulations also to one of our agistees, Strathclyde Alpacas, who won a First with Strathclyde Campbell in the Junior Male Grey/Roan class. Now we get ready for the Sydney Royal........... Issue: 30/10/06 Very happy with the results of the weekend at The National. Venus sold at the auction for $12,500 + gst to Judy Taylor of Glenhaven Alpacas. It's nice to know she's gone to a good home and we look forward seeing her offspring in the ring. Gunnamatta Marconi managed a 2nd in his class behind a boy he had beaten when he won the Best Adult Male ribbon at the recent Charles Ledger Grey Show. Gunnamatta Sheldon got a 3rd against some pretty useful opposition in the White Senior Male division. Now to finish off the shearing..........
Issue: 25/9/06 Things have been fairly hectic since our last news item. The time has been well spent with a few days of shearing, a visit interstate to do some ET work with Gunnamatta Marconi and, last but not least, the final Spring Shows for 2006. Hawkesbury Spring Show 2006: 1st Intermediate Female - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Venus [DG]) 2nd Senior Male - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Marconi [MG]) 2nd Adult Male - White (Gunnamatta Sheldon [SW])
Charles Ledger Grey Show 2006: Best Senior Grey (Gunnamatta Marconi [MG]) 1st Senior Male - Grey (Gunnamatta Marconi [MG])
Charles Ledger 2006: 1st Senior Male - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Marconi [MG]) 2nd Intermediate Male - White (Gunnamatta Iceman [SW])
Issue: 11/8/06 Just received the news that Gunnamatta Venus has been accepted for the National Sale to be held following the National Show in Canberra. Venus is a pretty Dark Grey maiden sired by Merungle Hot Chilli. Her dam, Gunnamatta Jewel (DB), is a broad ribbon winning daughter of Purrumbete D'Artagnan (LF).
Lot 8 - Gunnamatta Venus
Venus has been a regular member of our show team and has a number of blue ribbons to her credit. At the 2006 Sydney RES she placed 3rd behind two girls who were later sold to overseas breeders. As the only grey on offer it is hoped that Venus will be of interest to a discerning buyer. Show Results: 1st Junior Grey/Roan - Castle Hill 2006 3rd Junior Grey/Roan - Sydney Royal Easter Show 2006 1st Junior Grey Roan - Hawkesbury 2006 2nd Intermediate Grey/Roan - Central Western Spring Show 2006 1st Intermediate Grey/Roan - Central Coast & Hunter 2006 1st Intermediate Grey/Roan - Hawkesbury Spring Show 2006
Issue: 7/8/06 Our trip up to Wyong proved to be a great success, despite the fact that a couple of the team managed to take an evening shower the night before! Appearing in some rather large classes, our entries managed to catch the eye of Judge Ron Reid. Central Coast & Hunter 2006: Champion Intermediate Male (Gunnamatta Iceman [SW]) Reserve Champion Adult Male (Gunnamatta Sheldon [SW]) 1st Senior Male - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Marconi [MG]) 1st Intermediate Female - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Venus [DG]) 3rd Adult Female - White (Gunnamatta Chanel [SW])
Issue: 16/7/06 Mudgee again turned on the weather for us - something like 40mm of rain over the two days of the Field Days. Despite this our Show Team did us proud with one White, two Red, two Blue and two Reserve Champion ribbons shared amongst our 5 entries. Mudgee 2006: Reserve Champion Senior Male (Gunnamatta Marconi [MG]) Reserve Champion Adult Female (Gunnamatta Chanel [SW]) 2nd Junior Male - White (Gunnamatta Iceman [SW]) 2nd Intermediate Female - Grey/Roan (Gunnamatta Venus [DG]) 3rd Adult Male - White (Gunnamatta Sheldon [SW] - beaten only by Champion & Reserve Champion Adult Males and eventual Supreme Champion)
Issue: 1/6/06 Our grey girl, Gunnamatta Wild Iris was snapped-up by The Moshers of Merrima Alpacas, Rylstone. It's great to know that she's going to a good home and will be well looked after. Methinks the Moshers must like what we're doing - this is the 3rd time they've bought our offerings at the H-BM Fiesta & Auction. In addition to this, they also placed the winning bid for Gunnamatta Marconi in the Silent Auction.
Issue: 12/4/06 Just returned from the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Very happy with the results, given that there was some pretty stiff opposition and large classes. Gunnamatta Venus picked up a 3rd in the Junior Grey/Roan female class and our only other entry, Gunnamatta Chanel, was awarded a 4th in the Intermediate White female class.
Issue: 25/1/06 Just received notification that Gunnamatta Wild Iris has been accepted as Lot 6 at the 2006 Elite Auction, part of the Hawkesbury-Blue Mountains Alpaca Fiesta. Iris is a pretty little girl and is the third grey of ours to be selected in this prestigious auction. Our previous greys were in 1999 (Gunnamatta Highland Rose) and 2003 (Gunnamatta Gypsy Rose).
Issue: 25/9/05 Phew, the 2005 spring show circus is over and now it's time to relax - until shearing! The "team" really did us proud, and Gunnamatta picked-up more than its share of ribbons. In fact we were perhaps the most successful Huacaya breeder, with 3 animals in the Top 17 of the NSW High Points Score for 2005. Our season's broad ribbon results were as follows: Mudgee 2005: Reserve Champion Adult Male (Gunnamatta Marconi) Champion Senior Female (Gunnamatta Coquette) Reserve Champion Senior Male (Eringa Park Labyrinth) Hawkesbury 2005: Champion Senior Female (Gunnamatta Coquette) FloraFest 2005: Champion Intermediate Male (Gunnamatta Sheldon) Champion Senior Female (Gunnamatta Coquette) Charles Ledger 2005: Reserve Champion Intermediate Male (Gunnamatta Sheldon)
In view of the distances involved and the need to be away from the farm and Galston for about a week, we've chosen not to contest the National Show this year - maybe try in Canberra in 2006.
Issue: 25/3/05 Gunnamatta Rhiannon has been accepted for the Elite Auction at the 2005 H-BM Alpaca Fiesta & Auction and will appear as the penultimate Lot on the day. (Stop Press: Rhiannon sold for $7,700) Rhiannon is a superfine white, show quality granddaughter of the legendary Purrumbete Highlander. Her sire is championship winning Jilliby Lodge Celtic Mist (SW) and her dam Somerset Peruvian Rhapsody (SW). Rhiannon is a stunning young girl with a sweet nature, correct, compact frame and a lovely head. She will be approaching mating age by the time of the Auction. With her excellent first fleece statistics (17.28 micron, 3.66 SD, 21.39% CV, 16.85 SF) and quality Solid White genetics on both sides of her pedigree, Rhiannon would be an ideal addition for those looking to improve the quality of their herds.
Issue: 9/10/04 The Kerri-Anne day on Channel 9 went off without a hitch. All very exciting, rubbing shoulders with the stars. Glenrowan was on his best behaviour and was the star of the show. Hopefully we will be able to figure out a way to get the video clip loaded onto the website, just in case, like the rest of the world, you were working when the segment went to air.
Issue: 26/9/04 Delighted to announce that our grey, Gunnamatta Glenrowan, today took out not only his class, but also "Best Grey in Show" at the prestigious Charles Ledger in Liverpool.
Issue: 25/9/04 Exciting news - Gunnamatta has been invited to take a mob of alpacas to visit Channel 9 & Kerri-Anne on Tuesday 28th September. The segment goes out live, so hopefully the wee beasties don't disgrace themselves!
Issue: 13/9/04 Took the day off on Sunday 12th September and wandered down to Castle Hill with the dogs to the annual "Paws in the Park". A truly great initiative of the council and a great opportunity to "socialise" for both Jasmine & Mitchell. The day was made all the more successful when Jasmine, our liver-coloured English Pointer, won the "Most Wagging Tail" event against some stiff opposition.
Issue: 9/9/04 Hooray! Shearing of the mob at Galston has passed without a hitch. Despite thunder & lightening on the eve, the day itself proved calm & sunny. Bernie the Shearer was without Enid his Side-Kick, but we were ably assisted by Jacki the Spinner, Julie the Agistor and John & Wendy the New Kids on the Block. Now all we have to do is get the Oakleigh mob cleaned and ready for November.........
Issue: 1/9/04 Slowly but surely knocking "Oakleigh" into shape - quite a learning curve for a couple of city slickers. Most of the time has been spent creating paddocks ranging in size for about an acre up to about twenty or so. Compared to real graziers, these are nothing more than house paddocks, but it's great to see alpacas doing what they do best - wandering around, sampling whatever goodies the can garner from the drought affected native pasture. The house still remains a work in progress and to date hasn't made it onto the front page of our "To Do" list. Guess you just can't rush these things! From a marketing perspective, things are ticking along more or less to plan. Our latest sale involved an interstate move down/across to the land of Salvation Jane. We've also made our first tentative ventures into providing wethers a sheep protectors. So far so good. The reports are that the boys are doing their jobs and, fingers crossed, have managed to persuade local foxes that it isn't worth the agro. Not much further to add as we prepare for a double dose of shearing - visitors willing to get spat-on are most welcome. Wear a green shirt!
Media Coverage of Gunnamatta Stud Alpacas
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