This competition is run as a fundraiser for the local school and is organized by some of the mothers. My contact was Jo Gardner who kept me informed of what was happening up to the day. On the day of the weigh in these mothers had their husbands ready to help out as well. So for me as the head of the Ridgeline team it made things so easy they had people giving out the tags to the hunter as they arrived then as the trucks pulled up to the scales Mat Simmons and myself would scrutineer the animals before they were lowered down onto the cattle scales that sit on the ground saving any lifting. Sophie Wood was writing the weights down on the tags before the animals were dragged away and hung up by the many helpers that we had been provided for the day. The recording of the weights was done by a couple of the mother making our job very easy.
Blair Gardner with his son and the boar with the best tusks.
Being a fundraiser for the school meant the competition was including the children with not only the small critters but a prize for the best dressed animal and the kids really got into the carrying competition.
Over the years I have seen a lot of carrying competitions but there is one main factor that gets a bigger participation and that is the person on the microphone including the crowd into the fun and at this event they had Bones the Greta Valley publican and he made the event so much fun for everyone even the spectators. The winner got a kids bike donated by the Greta Valley pub. The youngest kids got to carry a duck, the next age up got to carry a hare and some of these kids were fast and the adults carried the pig I even noticed a couple of the mothers getting involved.
There was one boar with a good jaw caught by Tim Johns and Blair Gardner that went 19 4/8
Results
Heaviest boar
1st Jacob Vincent 184.5 pounds
2nd Tim Johns & Blair Gardner 160.5 pounds
3rd Robbie Rutherford 155 pounds
4th Kim Spenser 153
Best tusks Tim Johns & Blair Gardner 19 4/8
Average weight boar Jack Ramsey 119 pounds
Heaviest Stag
1st Jacob Vincent 326 pounds
2nd John Kotlowski 308 pounds
3rd James Maxwell 308 pounds
4th Tom Maxwell 240 pounds
Average weight stag James Beaton 202 pounds
Juniors
Heaviest boar
1st Harry Upston 84 pounds
2nd Xzayda Hopwood 46.6 pounds
Heaviest goat
1st Xzayda Hopwood 71.5 pounds
2nd Emma Fissenden 63.5 pounds
3rd Alexa Crosbie 60.5 pounds