Auction regular and renowned trainer Paul Macphail took home the triple crown, selling the $4million dog, top-priced pup and top-priced dog at the 2024 Australian Premier Working Dog Auction.<\/p>\n
In its 28th year, the June Long Weekend auction, hit the $4million mark just three years after hitting $3million.<\/p>\n
Casterton Kelpie Association president Karen Stephens said it was mind blowing to think the past four auctions had yielded one million f=dollars in sales given it took 25 years to hit the $3million mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a testament to the increasing realisation of the value of the working dog, particularly our beloved Australian Kelpie, and to the recognition our Australian Premier Working Dog Auction has provided for the Kelpie breed,\u201d Mrs Stephens said.<\/p>\n
Lot 11, Beloka Jock II secured $15,000 and the $4million record, whilst stand-out female Beloka Laila ticked all the boxes and sparked a bidding frenzy in person and online through AuctionsPlus, receiving the highest-price at $20,000.<\/p>\n
Confident and strong on stock, Beloka Bootz showed plenty of push and bark throughout the auction demonstrations netting a $9000 final call at Island Park, joining sibling Jock on farm with Australian Boxing champion Mitch Leek for his father John at their Simmental Stud.<\/p>\n
The 28th Casterton Kelpie Muster kicked off on June 6 with the official opening of the Rotary Club of Casterton\u2019s Kelpie Art Show and the 2024 Acquisitive Art Prize. The event was judged by Hamilton Gallery director Joshua White a proud Kelpie owner himself.<\/p>\n
Gayle Newcombe\u2019s piece \u2018Away to Me\u2019 captivated White and was awarded the top prize for its quintessential representation of Casterton\u2019s famous working dog.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a great representation of a Kelpie at work,\u201d Mr White said.<\/p>\n
Sandford artist Collin Tenney was honoured with the Gorman Real Estate Portraiture Prize for his self-portrait, described as evoking elements of Cezanne, Matisse, and Van Gogh.<\/p>\n
Casterton artist Rita McInerney also had a notable weekend, receiving high commendations for her entries in the portraiture and Australiana sections and she was also awarded the Glad Laslett Patrons Award for her watercolour painting \u2018Autumn Leaves\u2019 at the Clarice Beckett Art Show on Friday night.<\/p>\n
The annual Artists of the Valley and Gorman\u2019s Gallery event paid special tribute to Casterton-born artist Clarice Beckett.<\/p>\n
Julie Kent of Sandford was commended for her attention to Beckett\u2019s palette with her piece \u2018Sign of the Waves\u2019, which won the Artist\u2019s Rendition of Clarice Beckett\u2019s Style award.<\/p>\n
The major Clarice Beckett Art Prize was presented to regular exhibitor Meagan Lonsdale for her work \u2018Beck and Call\u2019 which interpreted a Kelpie at work, aligning perfectly with the weekend\u2019s theme.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s muster, the 28th Eukanuba Australian Kelpie Muster, drew thousands of visitors from across Australia and abroad as it celebrated and showcased the remarkable talents of the Australian Kelpie.<\/p>\n
The much-anticipated Kelpie Triathlon was led, as always, by the Kelpie Dash and Georgie Price and Winx led the charge to take the first trophy of the day, racing 50metres down Henty Street in a time of 4.95 seconds, narrowly edging out second-placed Jet by .02 seconds.<\/p>\n
Kathleen Smith and Walker \u2013 all the way from Western Australia \u2013 took the honours in the high jump, reaching 2.67 metres, while Niamh Haines broke a record in The Geelong College Junior Competitor High Jump with a 2.21metre final hurdle with Rouge, securing first place in the Junior Competitor category overall.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, a speedy corgi may have stolen the limelight with a mischievous dash up the Hill Climb but the ribbons and cash prize went to Annette Ditchburn, with Chivas finishing three seconds ahead of last year in 22.56 seconds, narrowly beating Molly in second place by 0.1 seconds.<\/p>\n
Damon Peacock stood three points clear of local competitors in the Stockman\u2019s Challenge, excelling in the horse, dog, and final overall selections and displayed remarkable endurance and strength in this challenging event.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur town \u2013 our volunteers, our traders, and our sponsors \u2013 just up the ante every year, and the response from across Australia keeps growing,\u201d Mrs Stephens said, thrilled the event attracted visitors from North Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a single, active organisation in town that doesn\u2019t play some role in the weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Muster puts around $1.7 million into our community over the weekend. We know that people now have Casterton on their bucket list as a place to visit, which is really exciting for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are already planning next year\u2019s event and aim to make it even bigger and better. The support and passion from everyone involved drive us to continue celebrating the incredible Australian Kelpie.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Auction regular and renowned trainer Paul Macphail took home the triple crown, selling the $4million dog, top-priced pup and top-priced dog at the 2024 Australian Premier Working Dog Auction. In its 28th year, the June Long Weekend auction, hit the $4million mark just three years after hitting $3million. Casterton Kelpie Association president Karen Stephens said […]<\/p>\n