Waverley's Eric Weir chats with Stratford's Joe Bishop, who is accompanied by his heading dogs, two-year-old Flame and 11-month-old Dream, who ran for the first time at the Waverley A&P Show yesterday. PHOTO/RAE CLIFFE 121113WCRCWAVERLEYAP04
Waverley's Eric Weir chats with Stratford's Joe Bishop, who is accompanied by his heading dogs, two-year-old Flame and 11-month-old Dream, who ran for the first time at the Waverley A&P Show yesterday. PHOTO/RAE CLIFFE 121113WCRCWAVERLEYAP04
A cool wind blew through the 92nd annual Waverley A&P Show where a few hundred South Taranaki locals came together for a day of country yarns and competition on the paddocks.
Former stock agent Eric Weir, 80 today, was out on the paddock yesterday with heading dog Lock rounding upthe sheep. Mr Weir has lived in Waverley for 54 years - he and his dogs have attended every show since his arrival.
He and Joe Bishop from Stratford caught up between the sheep trials and talked about Mr Weir's dog Sky who died recently at a ripe old age. Mr Weir said he was lucky to get one of Miriam Wilson's pups - Sky became a breeding dog.
"About 285 pups came from that old dog," he reminisced fondly. "He had a beautiful temperament ... he was a very good dog."
Another 80-year-old at the show was Waverley racing bike rider Curly Mickleson who said he had just done a round at the Pacific Club Taupo circuit at the weekend, but had had trouble with petrol in the last race. He's hoping to race in the Boxing Day Cemetery Circuit in Wanganui.
Sheep and dairy farmers mingled, and the equine show jumping event was in the middle paddock.
Inside the community hall kids queued all day for a repeat ride on the "bucking bronco", and the sideshows were an attraction for those children who wanted something other than a ride on a machine that bucked.
