Pupils and their rural pets on parade
Ruahine School lamb and calf day a hit with everyone
‘It’s a calf party!” was the description used by Charlotte, one of the youngest pupils in Ruahine School’s Lamb and Calf Day for 2022. It certainly was a celebration with 41 pupils and animals entered (the largest number of entrants reminiscent of pre-Covid times), 17 lambs and 24 calves.
Held at Ruahine School grounds the event also welcomed many parents, family and community, supporting the children and their animals in the ring.
The calves programme covered Leading, Care and Attention and Breed, with Jade Johnston and Mocha awarded the Corbett Trophy for Champion Leader. Champion Care and Attention went to Olivia Lovelock and Stormy with Kiwa Hikawai taking out the Open Class Dairy Calf with his calf Fred.
The Gibson Cup for Supreme Champion was awarded to Olivia and Stormy, who flopped for a rest before final judging, worn out by the excitement and sunshine. Jade and her calf Mocha were awarded the Reserve Champion. Judge Ciaran Driscole from Alliance had his work cut out for him with many wellpresented and cared for calves.
Highly entertaining were the lambs, with the Calling category a favourite among the crowd. This year the competition so fierce within the senior pupils a calling race was required to determine the winner. Lamb judges Richard Thurston and Kevin White from Silver Fern Farms nearly required a photo finish, with Will Hogan’s lamb Smokey, winning by a whisker.
Year 8 pupil Grace Morgans was highly commended for Care and Attention and won an award for Most Obvious Pet, with her lamb Rocky in a cast after injuring himself just days earlier. Grace spent the day carrying him around, after vets gave Rocky the okay to compete in what will be Grace’s last Primary School Lamb and Calf Day.
It was fantastic to watch past school community members present their sponsored cups, and to award two new cups in Lamb calling, with the Junior Cup sponsored by the Haye Family and the Senior Cup by the Caswill Family.
The overall Supreme Champion lamb was Will Hogan and Smokey, with young Natalia Paterson and her lamb Rainbow as runners-up. Will and Smokey also took out the PFK Shield for Champion Care and Attention, while Natalia and Rainbow won the Whibley Trophy for Champion Leader.
The day was hosted by the school fundraising PFK (Parents for Kids) Committee led by co-chairs Kirsten Prenter and Toni Chapman with teacher Mrs Lee Gibbs as MC for the day.
Kirsten thanked everyone for their support, with special mention to judges Ciaran, Richard and Kevin, Estelle and Kaylene from ASB for stewarding the calves, Mel Silver and Sam McNair from Property Brokers and Tararua Alliance for assisting with the gazebos and barbecue and Lisa Charmley for the programmes.
Ruahine Lamb and Calf Day follows on from Craft Day, where students are encouraged to upcycle items commonly found at home, with creations from plastic bottles, bird feeders, weaving, photo frames and pet photographs on display in the hall.