CAMERON Jones has a smile that cracks his face from ear to ear, and he has a good reason to grin.
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The 13-year-old Macintyre High student took home the Red Poll crowns for Grand Champion Bull with Jalabee Jessie James and Grand Champion Cow or Heifer at Brisbane's Ekka with Jalabee Ella. It was Cameron’s first major show and he travelled up to Brisbane with his family for the event.
On their sprawling property near Tingha, Cameron and his sister Bridget, 16, had the two champs brushed and ready for photos last Friday afternoon. Cameron explained the journey that took the pair to the Royal Brisbane Show.
“Well, we started breaking these in a year ago. Myself and Bridget started breaking them in. We first took them to their first show at Bundarra,” he said.
“They weren’t exactly, completely broke in, so Krystal, my second oldest sister got dragged around a fair bit.”
After a little more schooling they went to Glen Innes show the ribbons and sashes started coming in.
“Luckily, I didn’t get towed around there,” Cameron remarked.
He likes the qualities and even temperament of the dual-purpose breed.
“I got one bull that I can ride, and I haven’t tried much on this bull yet,” he said, glancing at Jessie.
Cameron’s parents were visibly proud of their son and daughter, noting it had been a two and a half year effort from breeding to Ekka.
“Very proud of him. It’s a big effort to get them there, and what time it took, and get out of bed most morning to fed them,” his father Gary said.
Roxanne said her son got his start with the Red Polls when his two older sisters found themselves short for the show ring.
“They had a cow and a calf and a heifer and they realised, ‘Hmmm, we need a third leader, and he volunteered in and led the little bull calf around at all the shows and in junior paraders,” she said.
The seeds of showing and dedication to the breed soon took hold. For Cameron’s birthday, the family travelled to Victoria and visited a Red Poll stud to learn more and add some new blood to their herd.
Winning at Ekka was a validation of Cameron’s direction.
“Yeah, well, I was fairly proud. It didn’t sink in until that night.
“I was told that I had a pretty good pair and would take the industry a fair way with these Red Polls, but I didn’t take in a lot because I was just fairly excited,” Cameron said.
He said the work to get to the big show has been shared between the three siblings, and occasionally, sisterly advice is taken on board.
“Sometimes. Sometimes I don’t agree, but I guess you gotta listen to older sisters,” he said with a slow grin.