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Australian Lowlines wow some Poms, annoy others
News from up over
When Waid and Georgie Helyer arrived at the New Forest and Hampshire County Show with two of their UK-born Lowline calves, interest levels were high with a constant crowd around their small display and 150 leaflets gone in just two hours. The Helyer calves, Langford Canute and Langford Clarissa, were entered in the Other Breeds beef class for calves born in 2007 and competed against Limousins, British White and Longhorns.
According to Georgie, the judge was as perplexed as judges usually are on meeting Lowlines for the first time " so put the heifer nicely in the middle of 10 and the bull calf second in his class. They came sixth in the pairs."
There were several highlights to the day. A small holder's club was so impressed that all members will be circulated with Lowline details.
The Dexter breeders were "right miffed" and one breeder said she could see no point to Lowlines at all. The Helyer's helper, a retired bank manager " spent ages telling the Dexter people how much better Lowlines are than Dexters." Georgie doesn't know whether he won any converts pointing out that in another year and another argument he barely escaped the Tower of London for contesting the relative merits of "his/our" Texcels and native sheep with Princess Anne.
The grand finale came as they were clearing up when a young teenager pointed at the Lowlines and in a strong Australian accent said: "Hey mum - That's like we have at school." True, too, the school being Caboolture State High.
The Helyers seem a canny couple
They've survived the British Blue Tongue epidemic, their five calves (bought as embryos from Margo Hayes)have all turned out well and
their planning application for house extensions was approved by the council when it was told that they might wish to "house Australian Lowline breeders visiting to advise on their breeding programme."
******Future visitors to the UK, take note. There's always a bed at Hanging Langford.
Meanwhile, visitors to Wiltshire, expecting white horses and Stonehenge, crane their necks in wonder at the latest tourist attraction, shaggy little black cattle being led like dogs through the quiet lanes and superhighways of this oldest part of Britain as Georgie and Waid prepare them for their next show.
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