Will Rundle admits he might not go if it wasn’t for his three children, but their enthusiasm is enough to keep him motivated.
Jake, 12, Matilda, 11, and Caitlin, 6, are keen participants, looking forward each year to leading their heifers and meeting up with friends old and new.
Will has been going to dairy week since he was 18, some 25 years ago.
“We missed a couple of years over time depending on milk prices and kids being born, but we keep going back,” he said.
“I took cows to Jersey showcase before it amalgamated into dairy week.”
His Boggabilla Jersey Stud has had success locally and at IDW over the years, most notably winning intermediate champion and best udder in 1998 with Boggabilla Belle P26, who went on to win senior champion in 2000.
The family usually travels in a truck with a horse box, that also doubles as accommodation, and sometimes takes the heifers in a ute and trailer.
The children are keen to continue and are already making plans for the future.
“They’ve got it worked out for the farm,” Will said.
“Jake wants to do all the tractor work, Matilda is going to milk the cows and Caitlin is going to make the cheese.”
The Jersey stud name Boggabilla was adopted back in the 1960s, reflecting the farm’s soggy nature which was wet enough to bog a billycart anywhere.
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