It was a great early birthday present for Sam Parish on Saturday when he qualified for the Beef Cattle Paraders competition at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
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Sam, who turns 17 this week, took out the junior parading at the Western Group Zone Young Judges Finals at the Dubbo Showground, and will now head to the state finals in Sydney.
He was RAS/ASC Beef Cattle Paraders Reserve Champion in Sydney last year, and will be hoping to go one better in 2018; a win would catapult him to the national finals at the Adelaide Show.
“There’s a kind of relief that your work has paid off,” Sam said.
“You have to practice to make it work. All the practice kind of calms down the nerves and excitement, but once you get within a week of Sydney the excitement really starts to build up.
“It’s more, for me, the bond and showing off the animals.
“You want to push towards perfection … Both my parents have taught me so much so I’m very, very lucky.”
Saturday also saw juniors competing in Beef Judging, Merino, Meat Sheep, Fleece, Grains, Fruit and Vegetables, Pigs and Poultry.