BEEF AUSTRALIA 2021
Record numbers!
Record participation!
Reports are in and its official – Beef Australia 2021 has been recognised as the best one yet!
With 115, 866 people walking through Australia’s leading beef expo gates, Rockhampton mayor Tony Williams, said it went “above and beyond expectations”.
There were nearly 5000 head of cattle across three competitions and Coulton’s Country Photography had the privilege of being part of all the action in the centre ring, along with fellow stud photographer extraordinaire and all-round great bloke, Kent Ward.
With six rings operating over two days, we were kept busy photographing thirty different breeds of champion quality cattle. Our Australian beef producers put every ounce of their being into breeding these beautiful animals and the respect that is shown day in and out, is what makes this industry great. Beef’s stud cattle committee was chaired by Russell Hughes, and he and his team put on a great show and each of the societies should be proud of what was presented to showcase their breeds.
Thirty-nine state and federal politicians graced the Rockhampton showgrounds over the five-day period. Prime Minister Scott Morrison along with his entourage visited the Brahman ring on Tuesday morning, where he took the time to acknowledge the crowd and tell them that they were here to support the industry and appreciated everything they were doing. Mr Morrison went on to say, “keep doing what you’re doing, because you’re keeping Australia strong.” Prior to sashing the champion Brahman bull calf, the Prime Minister stopped to chat to a young lady and her father, which excited the media to no end!
Queensland Premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, made an appearance on Wednesday at the Droughtmasters ring, where she patiently waited for the judge to announce the grand champion cow. Again while the photographers battled with the calf’s ears, the Premier seemed to be in no rush to move on to her next appointment – which I for one was extremely appreciative of. It’s not often one gets to tell the Premier, “sorry, but it’s not about you today.” (What was I thinking?!! Thankfully Ms Palaszczuk saw the funny side and agreed that it was in fact about the cattle and quickly learnt the importance of getting both sets of ears forward…..)
Moooving on.… (oohh goodness! If you know me, you’d know that I’m not a fan of puns, but today I’m just going with it – Haha!) It was a real treat catching up with those I have known for many years, those I have worked with and those who I had the pleasure of meeting in the beef capital. To those who made the effort to come and say hello, thank you for your endless friendship and support. I miss having the opportunity to see you more regularly, but I will happily take catching up every three years if that’s what it takes. To those who waved or smiled from a distance, because they too were very busy. Don’t worry - I understand and totally get it! Hopefully our paths will cross again in the near future. Until then, stay safe and keep doing what you love.
To Beef Australia - Congratulations to all those who worked tirelessly to ensure this event ran as smoothly as possible. From the dedicated committee to the volunteers who were spread out across the showgrounds. Well Done!
To wrap up BEEF 2021 I would like to share with you some of my favourite shots from this world renowned event.
To see all the images captured by Kent Ward of KB Consulting Rockhampton and myself make sure you visit the Beef Australia website – https://beefaustralia.com.au/about/gallery
It was an honour and absolute pleasure to work alongside you again, Kent.
Rodney Green you were missed, there’s no doubt about that…. but hopefully we did you proud, and it will be the three of us again in 2024!
