Parlato kids clean up section at Horowhenua Girls and Boys Agricultural Day

A group of Opiki cousins dominated the kid section at the Horowhenua Girls and Boys Agricultural Day.

It was nearly a Parlato clean-sweep for young goat section of show, with Emily, Annabelle, Cohen, Jonathan and Grayson Parlato all getting ribbons with their respective kids - Acorn, Stormy, Snow, Frosty and Spotty late last week.

The only fly in the ointment was their schoolmate Joel Fraser, who along with Thunder managed to feature among the placings to prevent a Parlato whitewash.

The feisty Thunder proved a handful for Fraser, but behaved when it mattered.

Kids and lambs took centre stage at the competition in the absence of calves again. There were just two gaps in the champion calf shield since 1930 - one during World War II, and the other due to fears of M. bovis.

But calves could make a return to what is one of the oldest clubs in New Zealand next year.

Club secretary Carol Christensen said nine rural schools between Opiki and Tokomaru in the north, and Te Horo in the south, were involved, and some of those schools held calf days this year under MPI guidelines.

"Hopefully, we will have calves back next year. We normally have around 100 entries," she said.

There was a disinfectant footwear bath where the soles of shoes were soaked before entering the show arena to prevent any possible spread of disease.

Christensen said the club was a non-profit organisation run by volunteers.

"Our aim is to foster caring in our community through the teaching of our children to care for an animal or garden. We wish to encourage this well into the future," she said.

"Each year in November, nine local rural schools run their own agricultural days. We supply ribbons, certificates and the judges for these events."

"This normally involves hundreds of children raising lambs, calves, and kids. Also vegetable and flower gardens. After the school week has finished for animals, the children can enter and bring their animals to Levin to our Group Final day."

RESULTS:
LAMB SECTION
SENIOR BEST PET LAMB
1st Tamara Anderson Opiki School
2nd Emily Oliver Te Horo School
3rd Reagan O'Connor Opiki School
VHC Jana Vodanovich Otaki College
HC Violet Hudson Ohau School
SENIOR CARE & REARING – TARARUA CUP
1sT Tamara Anderson Opiki School
2nd Violet Hudson Ohau School
3rd Isla Sweeney Opiki School
VHC Hayden Stewart Tokomaru School
HC Isla Rountree Te Horo School
JUNIOR BEST PET LAMB
1sT McKenzie Masters Manakau School
2nd Sabrina Gubb Ohau School
3rd Rosa Guthre Te Horo School
VHC Olivia Robinson Koputaroa School
HC Lexie Guthrie Te Horo School
JUNIOR CARE & REARING – RINGAWHATI CUP
1sT McKenzie Masters Manakau School
2nd Sophia Parkes Ohau School
3rd Tilly Easton Poroutawhao School
VHC Jett Parkes Ohau School
HC Lexie Gutrie Te Horo School
CHAMPION LAMB – LEVIN SHEEP FARMERS CUP
Tamara Anderson Opiki School
RESERVE CHAMPION LAMB – SHEEP FARMERS CUP
Emily Oliver Te Horo School

HOROWHENUA BOYS & GIRLS AGRICULTURAL CLUB
GROUP FINAL DAY RESULTS – KID 2016
JUNIOR BEST PET KID
1st Grayson Parlato Opiki School
2nd Joel Fraser Opiki School
3rd Jonathan Parlato Opiki School
VHC Cohen Parlato Opiki School
HC Annabelle Parlato Opiki School
JUNIOR CARE & REARING
1st Joel Fraser Opiki School
2nd Grayson Parlato Opiki School
3rd Cohen Parlato Opiki School
VHC Jonathan Parlato Opiki School
HC Annabelle Parlato Opiki School
SENIOR BEST PET
1st Emily Parlato Opiki School
SENIOR CARE & REARING
1sT Emily Parlato Opiki School
CHAMPION KID – GEBBIE CUP
Grayson Parlato Opiki School
RESERVE CHAMPION KID
Joel Fraser Opiki School
BEST CARE & REARING – SQUIRE FAMILY SHIELD
Joel Fraser Opiki School

TROPHY RESULTS FOR GROUP FINAL DAY 2019
GEBBIE CUP
Champion Kid GRAYSON PARLATO – OPIKI SCHOOL
SQUIRE FAMILY SHIELD
Best Care & Rearing – Kid JOEL FRASER – OPIKI SCHOOL
TARARUA CUP
Senior Care & Rearing – Lamb TAMARA ANDERSTON – OPIKI SCHOOL
RINGAWHATI CUP
Junior Care & Rearing – Lamb MCKENZIE MASTERS – MANAKAU SCHOOL

LEVIN DISTRICT SHEEP FARMERS CUP
Champion Lamb TAMARA ANDERSTON – OPIKI SCHOOL
SHEEP FARMERS CUP
Reserve Champion Lamb EMILY OLIVER – TE HORO SCHOOL

JOYCLAS TROPY
Best Diary COHEN PARLATO –OPIKI SCHOOL