However, circumstances changed and my business activities down in Australia necessitated a reduction in my farming activities here at home. So reluctantly I scaled down on numbers and reduced my acreage until the mid seventies when I could review my farming activities once again. A small herd of Galloways was purchased in the late seventies, which produced no less than 10 Royal Champions and 4 Royal Highland Champions in a 25 year period for me. However , my dream was soon to be realised when I attended the Calrossie dispersal at Perth in the mid 1990's and purchased two Augusta cows with bull calves at foot, one eventually being our first stock bull, Calrossie Noble. I was now a Beef Shorthorn breeder again and proud of it. I then went to Mary Durno at Uppermill and she very kindly offered me 3 heifers to start me off, and later went to Stuart Durno and bought 4 more, Then, a visit to James and Donald Biggar at Chapleton, yielded two more, a Broadhooks and a Princess, both purchased at Perth. Again a further stock bull was then required. I went on a tour of many herds until I arrived at Chapleton in early May 1999. My eye was immediately drawn to Neptune. I returned in August, when I was judging at the Dumfries show, and I liked him still. I returned in October and decided to try to buy him at Perth in February of the following year, 'come what may’. I went at him with guns blazing and secured him for my next stock bull. Maybe my Royal Champion quest was getting nearer.
To widen the gene pool, I decided to import some embryos from Australia, having seen some very nice exhibits at the Royal Show in Adelaide, and visited the Ashby's “Bundaleer” herd at Gulnare. This resulted in a flush from a very exciting heifer, Derrimut 132, and imported in the early part of the decade. With foot and mouth raging at the time, we only used the embryos into our own heifers and over a period of time. The resulting bull and three heifers from that flush were satisfactory, and the bull, Wavendon Red Rattler, has been successfully used as our stock bull for three seasons and has left some very good females. Five of his offspring have been sold at Perth to average £2,000 each. A son, Wavendon Prince Simon, is the sire of this years crop, along with a Bundaleer Yankee Cruiser sired (top priced bull at the Dubbo sales in Australia) bull called Wavendon Hercules, out of a Chapelton Princess cow. As many of the offspring of these Australian sires are red, a white bull from Millerston out of the Calrossie Augusta line, was purchased at Perth in 2009 to get some of the favoured roan colours. We await his calves with great anticipation. We have had various reduction sales and at Chelford in August 08 we had the two top prices with adult breeding cows with Red Rattler calves at foot. Again at Perth in February 09, we had the top and equal second top price for a draught of in-calf heifers. The numbers at present in the herd are about 50 females, so a further reduction in 2010/11 is being planned. My love for the breed has never wavered since the early years and it will be a great pleasure and honour to host a visit by delegates to the World Conference in July 2010.
Chris with Neptune awaiting the judge's verdict at the Royal 05
Neptune matched well with my Uppermill females and produced two 6,000guinea sons at Perth and several top daughters. Neptune developed well and in 2004 we decided that he looked a champion in the making and prepared him for the 2005 Royal. We had him working with the herd in the spring of that year and kept him in condition. He was fit and active and in July 2005 we felt that he was 100% to possible achieve our goal of bringing back the coveted trophy for “Champion Shorthorn at the Royal”. HE DID JUST THAT, and achieved a lifetime ambition for me, a moment in my cattle breeding life that I will never forget. A photograph of him takes pride of place in my Champions Gallery.
My cattle showing and exhibiting at the top shows has resulted in many judging appointment. The highlights have been the judging of the Burke and Nat.West Trophies at the Royal Show, three times breed judge at the Royal Highland and many other i n t e r b r e e d competitions all over the UK. Abroad, several beef breeds at four Royal Shows in Australia and the Ohio State Fair in the USA. To bring this ALDENHAM FLORENTIA 8TH profile up to date, I am just off to judge at the Royal Christchurch, New Zealand. In conclusion, to think what might have happened if that Royal Champion had not started this passion for Pedigree breeding in a certain young boy in 1939. beef shorthorn
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