LIKE most shows and events in 2020, the Make Smoking History Williams Gateway Expo fell victim to COVID-19 and was cancelled.
But it roared back into life last weekend celebrating its 21st year in style with something for everyone, whether they were a stud breeder showing off their best breeding stock, a shearer displaying their talent or just a child looking for a show bag and some fun in the sun.
For many the ram shed was the place to be and an action-packed day of judging on the mat saw history created, with new names added to the show's honour boards.
The King family's Rangeview stud, Darkan and the Shepherd family's, Leween Poll Dorset stud, Narrogin, were two of the new names added when they took out the highly regarded Farm Weekly-sponsored breeders' group classes for two rams and two ewes in their respective sections.
Along with having the honour of winning the classes and getting their names on the honour board for the first time, they also had to fit a new two-wheel Honda agricultural motorbike in with their teams on the way home.
With very few pens spare in the ram shed, competition was fierce in both the Merino and British and Australasian breeds judging rings as the judges made their way through the 124 Merino and Poll Merinos from 19 studs and 226 British and Australasian breed sheep representing seven breeds from 25 studs.
In the Merino ring, the King family's Rangeview stud claimed its first win in the class everyone wants to win, much to the delight of co-stud principals John, Geraldine, Jeremy and Melinda King and children Tom, Gemma and Erin who were in attendance.
The Rangeview team of classy Poll Merinos beat five other teams in the hotly-contested class which saw the judges go back numerous times to the teams to make sure they got their placings right given the magnitude of the prize that was up for grabs.
Judge Jason Griffiths, Canowie Fields stud, Gairdner, said it wasn't an easy class to judge as there were some great teams on display.
"In the end we went for the Rangeview team as the winners as they are all very even and all true to type," Mr Griffiths said.
"They are great white wools and four very good sheep which are structurally correct.
"They all fit together very well."
All four sheep were four-tooths, the two rams were by Rangeview 700 and one of the ewes was by Rangeview 635.
The Button family's Manunda stud, Tammin, finished second in the class with a Poll Merino team, while a Merino team from the Norrish family's Angenup stud, Kojonup, finished third.
Mr Griffiths said the Manunda team showed great carcase and wool production traits, while the Angenup team was a very productive and quality wool team, but both lacked the evenness of the Rangeview group.
In the individual classes in the Merino judging it was an upstanding medium wool Poll Merino ram from the Manunda stud which shone through to be sashed the supreme exhibit and in turn meant the stud's name would also be a new one to add to the honour boards.
In the British and Australasian breeds section there were seven breeds represented by seven studs and every one of them was aiming for the Farm Weekly motorbike for the best group of two rams and two ewes.
This year the finalists were a wide-open field that featured few of the more-recognised stud prefixes and several teams had a red-hot chance of receiving the keys to the prestigious prize.
The line-up included Leween Poll Dorset, the Cole family's Sasimwa Suffolk stud, York and the Marwick family's Codji Springs White Suffolk stud, Wandering and all three had valid claims for a win after taking out the top accolades in the individual interbreed judging.
Alongside them were teams from the Alcostro Ile de France stud, Wagin, the Neribri Wiltipoll stud, Boyanup, the JimJan Texel stud, Boyup Brook and the Iveston South Suffolk stud, Williams, each with a harder battle on their hands.
While judges Laurie Fairclough, Stockdale White Suffolk and Poll Dorset studs, York and Rivers Hyde, Kohat White Suffolk stud, Ongerup, looked for quality among the four animals - and there was plenty - it was evenness that was the overriding factor and when they announced the Poll Dorset team the winner there was plenty to cheer about.
The Shepherd family registered the stud in 1976 and has not always had a focus on showing, but 2021 has catapulted them to new highs.
After winning supreme sheep at this year's Make Smoking History Wagin Woolorama with a ewe, a motorbike was an even sweeter achievement and it was a new name to etch on the award.
Mr Fairclough had judged the group earlier in the day and commended the stud for the evenness of all four sheep when it beat three-time winner the Squiers family who exhibited Dongadilling and Shirlee Downs stud teams that finished second and third respectively in the class judging.
Codji Springs was announced runner-up and again quality was not in question, but as a young stud formed only in 2018, it could not match the evenness of the winner.
Mr Fairclough, who also judged at the 2019 expo, said the top three teams had the volume of meat and were great examples of their breeds.
"In the end it all came down to evenness and Leween had the most consistency - there was one sheep in the Codji Springs team that didn't match up quite as well and the same for others," he said.
"Codji Springs had some very good sheep and as a young stud they showed they would go places in the future."