Young farmers in the district represented the state in the Melbourne Royal Show last month coming a close second at the National Young Farmers Challenge.
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The team, which consisted of Matthew Sheehy, Aidan Barton, Kim Sykes and Ewan Brown, with Sam Heffernan as reserve.
The National Young Farmer Challenge Event started at 3pm with a rundown and briefing of the event, induction and indemnity forms signed, and completion of the theory based quiz to determine heat placings.
President of the Goulburn Show Society Jacki Waugh said it was a great to not only compete but to also have a look around the grounds and get some new ideas
Challenges were held at the Herald Sun Arena, where NSW beat both the Victorian and South Australian teams entering into the finals.
The seven challenges consisting of Hay Day May Day where two competitors from each team drive a Kubota RTV to the end of the first course where they had to load, unload and stack straw bales.
The next challenge was the Blind Man’s Bluff Wheelbarrow Race where one team member is blindfolded while their partner sits in the wheelbarrow, the aim of this challenge is to get the wheelbarrow to the end of the course moving around all the obstacles. The team member in the wheelbarrow has to verbally direct the blindfolded person pushing the wheelbarrow
The Medical Rescue required one team member acts as the patient, the remaining three team members pick up the stretcher and race to the end of the course moving around all the obstacles
In the Penned Hemmed Fencing Challenge two team members had to construct a lane leading from the pen where the sheep are currently stored to a second pen also to be constructed
At Move ‘Em Out Sheep Herding Challenge we saw the second two members from each team compete in this race. The aim of the challenge was to herd the sheep down the lane into the pen at the end of the course. Once all 4 sheep have been moved to the new pen, the team runs to where the next challenge starts
The CFA Fire Fighting Challenge was where the first team member dresses up in firefighting overalls, secures the firefighting equipment on their back, runs to the fire line and knocks off all five canisters from the straw bale
And the final challenge was the Gumboot Tag Team Bash. This is where one team member is standing at the finish line with the gumboots ready to put on and the second team member is at the start line. The team member at the finish line is to put on the gumboots and run as fast as possible to the start line. Once they have crossed the line they must take off the gumboots and tag the second team member who must then put a pair of gumboots on and make a dash to the finish line.
When the dust had settled after the final challenge NSW had placed first, but after the penalties had been counted, it was the South Australia Young Farmers Team which snatched the top prize.
Victoria Young Farmers president Nikki Georgiou thanked everyone who participated especially the SA and NSW teams for travelling so far to attend.
Later that night the team and supporters were invited to be guests at the RASV Youth in Agriculture dinner function held in the Stockman’s Lounge in the Weekly Times Livestock Pavilion to indulge in delicious local produce and make new friends.
The NSW team would like to thank the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW and the Goulburn Branch of the NSW Farmers for their generous support and sponsorship to the team in helping them get to Melbourne and also Hertz Goulburn and Goulburn Show Committee for their support to compete in the nationals.
