The Southdown Sheep Society of New Zealand Flockbook Vol 1
The Southdown Sheep Society was formed in 1926 after becoming strong enough in its own right to move away from the Sheepbreeders Association where it had been a founding breed.
Vol 1 of the Southdown Sheep Flockbook listed flocks from numbers 1 – 721 of which there were 490 currently active flocks, remembering that flocks had been registering since 1894, 32 years prior. It would appear that this transition was not plain sailing as the last 22 Southdown flocks did not transfer to the new Society until 1934.
However the loss of the Southdown breed considerably reduced the total number of flocks administered by the Sheepbreeders’ Association, and one would expect diminished their influence further too after the Romney Association had also broken away in 1904.
The inaugural Council of the Southdown Sheep Society of New Zealand included names that would still be familiar to many of today’s breeders as they were already or would go on to be very influential in Southdown circles and farming circles in general throughout NZ.
President:
Mr H B Stuckey, Dannevirke
Vice-Presidents:
Mr John Deans, Coalgate
Mr James Knight, Fielding
MR H J Andrew, Maheno
Mr W H Buick, Masterton
Mr G F Ellis, Bulls
Mr W J Gimblett, Hastings
Mr W J Jenkins, Waddington
Mr Jas. Stevenson, Flaxton
Mr C E Vile, Pukenui, Bulls
Secretary and Treasurer:
Mr W Mackenzie
Official Judges: 49 (North Island 24, South Island 25)
Official Inspectors: 41 (North Island 28, South Island 13)
Below I have reproduced the Southdown Sheep Description and Scale of Points, Reasons for Disqualification and Instructions for Tattooing and Rules for the Inspectors as outlined in 1926, which you can compare with your own knowledge of today’s requirements.
SOUTHDOWN SHEEP – DESCRIPTION AND SCALE OF POINTS
DISQUALIFICATIONS
The following are reasons why Judges should not, at Breeding Stock Shows, award a prize to otherwise good sheep:
a) Horns or evidence of their presence
b) Dark poll
c) Blue skin
d) Speckled face, ears and legs
e) Bad wool
INSTRUCTIONS TO INSPECTORS
Inspectors should be more particularly influenced by the general appearance of a flock as to true character; it is essential that the sheep are pure-bred and show the true characteristics of pure-bred sheep.
Good constitution must also be apparent, and freedom from extremely weak bone.
Carcase should be a first consideration.
The definition of a pure-bred sheep should be of great assistance to Inspectors; but it would be impossible to find all the points therein described perfect in any flock, and it must be left to the discretion of an Inspector to exercise common sense in connection with the definition. A number of minor points such as ears, nose, feet, etc., should not influence Inspectors too much.
Excessively dark-faced sheep should be discarded.
A sheep carrying an excessively coarse or hairy fleece should be condemned. The Inspector should throw out sheep having a weak back covering or defective jaws.
It is essential that sheep should stand well on their legs, and if they are deformed, and the Inspector does not consider the defect caused by accident, but hereditary, they should be thrown out. Large black spots on face and legs should not be encouraged, and if in the wool of the sheep should be condemned.
A bad droop behind the shoulders or hunchback, if very noticeable after a fair growth of wool, should condemn any sheep.
Allowance should be made for sheep on low condition, as the inspection is not for show purposes, but to provide that the sheep entered in the Flock Book are suitable for breeding requirements.
Inspectors are particularly requested to make due allowance for age.
THE SOCIETY THROUGH THE YEARS
The Southdown Sheep Society evolved in relation to the breed’s fortunes throughout the 20th century with the numbers of studs peaking in the late fifties and early sixties before a downturn when the Southdown was unfairly blamed for the excess fat on the Southdown-Romney cross that was the predominant fat lamb produced for the international market.
The late sixties and seventies saw stockmen of the time work together to produce the required animal and while today it is much easier to see that they succeeded in producing the required animal, their biggest battle would be in trying to dispel the misconceptions that commercial farmers had acquired about the ‘short fatty Southdown’, as well as battling a bureaucracy that would not acknowledge, nor allow to be publicly acknowledged the changes that had been made, nor publish the facts to support this (more in the NZ Meat Board section).
Today (2014) the flock book only has 65 registered flocks, but one can still see rules and protocols for judging, flock inspection, systems of ear tagging and a description of a Southdown sheep, just as the Society founders had set out, even though they have evolved with the needs of the era.
The Southdown Sheep Society of New Zealand Inc. Presidents
NAME AREA DATE ELECTED
H.B. Stuckey …………………………………………Dannevirke ………………………………………….9.9.1926
James Knight …………………………………………Feilding ……………………………………………..20.6.1928
H.J. Andrew ………………………………………….Maheno ……………………………………………….9.7.1930
H. Burrell ……………………………………………..Feilding ……………………………………………..14.6.1934
W.J. Jenkins ………………………………………….Waddington ……………………………………..23.10.1935
W.J. Gimblett ………………………………………..Hastings …………………………………………….10.6.1938
James Knight …………………………………………Feilding ……………………………………………..7.11.1940
Joseph Brooks ……………………………………….Brookside …………………………………………18.11.1941
M.A. MacLeod ………………………………………Feilding ……………………………………………17.11.1943
J. Deans ………………………………………………..Coalgate …………………………………………… 8.11.1945
R.M. Perry …………………………………………….Masterton …………………………………………11.11.1947
H.J. Andrew …………………………………………Maheno ……………………………………………..2.11.1949
W.V. Buick …………………………………………..Masterton ………………………………………..22.11.1951
A.C. Vile ………………………………………………Marton ……………………………………………..5.11.1953
R.J. Low ……………………………………………….Methven …………………………………………..25.10.1956
W.H. Henson …………………………………………Feilding ……………………………………………23.10.1957
J. Campbell …………………………………………..Otautau ……………………………………………..5.11.1959
W.C. Gimblett ……………………………………….Hastings …………………………………………..23.11.1961
T.E.M. Brooks……………………………………….Brookside …………………………………………..4.12.1963
A. Kirkpatrick ……………………………………….Gisborne ……………………………………………4.11.1965
W.J. MacLeod ……………………………………….Feilding ……………………………………………23.11.1967
T.E.M. Brooks……………………………………….Brookside …………………………………………10.12.1969
H.W. Pannett …………………………………………Clydevale …………………………………………..4.11.1971
J.H. Bartlett …………………………………………..Feilding ……………………………………………16.10.1973
L.G. MacKay ………………………………………..Gore ………………………………………………..30.10.1975
G.S. McLeod …………………………………………Martinborough ……………………………………9.11.1977
I.H. McCarroll ……………………………………….Tauranga ……………………………………………3.12.1979
L.J. McLauchlan……………………………………..Blenheim …………………………………………..6.11.1981
J.T. Wynyard …………………………………………Warkworth …………………………………………4.12.1984
D.A. Wyllie …………………………………………..Ashburton ………………………………………….7.11.1986
W.J. Medlicott ……………………………………….Waimate …………………………………………..26.10.1990
C.R. Trousdale ………………………………………Ohinewai …………………………………………21.10.1993
J.J. Macaulay …………………………………………Timaru ………………………………………………8.11.1996
D.K. Signal……………………………………………Feilding ……………………………………………..8.12.1999
D.R. Hunt ……………………………………………..Feilding ……………………………………………..8.11.2002
C.J. Medlicott ………………………………………..Waimate …………………………………………..10.12.2004
Miss. C.A. Jordan……………………………………Blenheim …………………………………………….6.5.2008
B.A. Robertson………………………………………Gore ………………………………………………….21.6.2011
S.W. Brannigan ……………………………………..Southbridge …………………………………………7.5.2013
T. R. Anderson ……………………………………..Winton ………………………………………… 9.5.2016
D.C. Murray …………………………………………Lawrence ………………………………………… 13.5.2019
The Southdown Sheep Society of New Zealand Inc. Secretaries.
Throughout the years, just as breeders passed studs down to sons, the secretary has also been a family affair with the Mckenzies holding this position from 1926 – 1981 while Miss Christine Ramsay has also given long service to this position since then.
W. McKenzie …………………………………………………..Palmerston North ……………………….9.9.1926
S.I. McKenzie ………………………………………………….Palmerston North ……………………..5.11.1937
N.Z. Romney Association ………………………………….Feilding …………………………………..6.11.1981
(Miss. C.H. Ramsay)
Livestock Administration and Account Services …..Feilding …………………………………..15.5.2006
(Mrs. J.M. Pinfold & Miss. C.H. Ramsay)
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