“He was a junior bull in the Juniors’ class. 

“He was Junior Champion, then he beat the Senior Champion for Grand Champion bull, and then he beat the Grand Champion Cow for the Supreme Exhibit,” David said.

Halifax also added his name to the M S Traynor Perpetual Trophy for the Grand Champion Bull.

Danelle Worgan looked after the King’s cattle at the Royal and showed Halifax in the ring.

The Murray Grey is not as common as other breeds in the Inverell region, but David detailed their attractive qualities. 

“In 1976 I started my stud. They’re quiet, they fatten very quickly and the meat’s top quality.” 

David said the young bull caught his eye from an early age.

“Oh yeah, he was a nice calf. We had two to pick from that I thought were quite good. He was just a calf bred out of one of my better cows,” David said.

He felt Halifax had all the points he’s been breeding for.

“There’s not a lot wrong with him. He’s got a lovely temperament and his actual structure and everything is very good.

“He’s got a really good weight for age. He’s nearly 800 kilos.”

David began showing at Sydney in 1980, and along the way, supported students in the cattle shows.

“I’ve been showing at Sydney for a long, long time. Not every year; in fact I haven’t been for three or four years,” he said. “But mainly, I’ve been involved in the high schools in the earlier days and we showed steers at Sydney with a lot of success.”

The win at this year’s Royal with the results of so many years of planning and breeding was very satisfying. 

“We were quietly thrilled I suppose. It was quite special after a long time,” David said.

As for Halifax, he’s up for sale at the national Murray Grey show and sale at Wodonga on April 29 for some lucky buyer to pass those champion bloodlines along for the breed.