Wagin Woolorama dog show to be a big hit

WA Central Districts Working Sheep Dog Club president Neil Kristiansen has welcomed the new cash and promotional support, saying members were extremely appreciative and, weather permitting, patrons would see some skilled working dogs and their handlers in action.

Because the event has grown in size over the years, it will start on Wednesday with the plan to finish by lunch time on Saturday.

It will be followed by the ever-popular dog high jump providing a spectacle from 1pm.

The event is held in the purpose-built arena on the western side of the showgrounds and as much as the dogs love working livestock, they enjoy the big bathtub full of water as they come off the arena on a hot day.

The tightly-knit working dog fraternity notched up some proud achievements in 2022 with Mr Kristiansen saying WA had a top reputation of being more than competitive at a national level and members regularly travelled across the Nullarbor with their dogs.

Last year Grant Cook, Grass Valley, was part of the winning Australian test team, competing against New Zealand in Tasmania.

It was a particularly sweet win as it was more than five years since Australia had beaten the Kiwis.

Another experienced trialler Ken Atherton headed to Port Fairy in Victoria in January to compete in the national invitational champion of champions series.

Both men are planning to compete at Woolorama.

Mr Kristiansen said as a sport, sheep dog trialling was neither declining nor growing, but still attracted people who were keen to have a go, even if there were fewer sheep flocks in the regions.

"At the moment we are attracting most of our interest from Perth people," Mr Kristiansen said.

"It is not an easy sport but there are some handy people who come from Perth and are pretty darn good and competitive."

After an absence from the sport for almost a decade, he made a comeback to trialling two years ago and returned to the highest level by winning the State championships at open and improver levels.

A trip from his home at Walkaway to compete in a trial often meant a five-hour drive but he is planning to move closer to the epicentre.

At the moment he and wife Donna have bought and are in the process of moving to a small farm near Goomalling, with plans to set up facilities and run dog schools.

The move will give him easier, if not more opportunities for competing.

He counts Wagin as a special event, saying the people involved make it so.

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"We are so grateful to Woolorama for securing Patmore Feeds as a major cash sponsor and the committee's support is one part of such a successful event," Mr Kristiansen said.

"People like Paul Powel, local farmer Chris English who carts all our sheep and the other five farmers who are prepared to supply more than 600 sheep if we need them, and Peter Webster (head steward) are wonderful and so easy to work with."

He said the many years of sponsorship from Grainfeeds, and its donation in the form of its mainstay product Alert Plus dog food, had been invaluable and members try hard to acknowledge and support the Wagin-based company at every opportunity.

"They have been so good to us sponsoring our club forever and it has worked because their product is so good - I use Alert and most people I know use it too," Mr Kristiansen said.