Spring 2024 Newsletter
SWAAC NEWSLETTER SPRING 2024
Well, hello and welcome to what appears to be a very wet start to 2024! I’m sure like me you are all wondering when this rain is going to stop. Thank goodness for our hardy Angus in weather like this.
Our last event of 2023 was our Dinner in November, enjoyed by over 50 members. We were treated to a talk by Robyn Westcott about her adventures in Canada at Agribition where she competed as a representative of the Angus Society. It was lovely to see so many of you there and the food at the Devon Hotel was superb as always.
2024 Events
We have exciting things planned for 2024. Our first event of the year is our AGM which will take place on the 6th of April at the Devon Hotel. AGM will start 6.30 with dinner at 7.30. Tickets for the dinner will be £27.50, numbers to Lisa please, contact details are at the foot of this page.
We are losing Rich as our Chair and off the Committee this year. Alan Butt and Chris Gleeson are also up for re-election and both happy to stand again. We would however love new blood so please out your name forward if interested. We meet approx. 3 or 4 times a year at the Devon Hotel. We can co-opt new members onto the Committee. We are not scary, and some innovative ideas would be great.
In attendance at our AGM will be Felicity Hunter who is the new communication and media manager for the Society. Peter Champman our Council member will also be in attendance. If you have a query that wish to have raised especially those that may take some research at the Society, please forward them to me on my email or use the contact details on our website. This way I can pass them onto Peter beforehand and he will hopefully then have the answers to your questions. Bookings for the Dinner no later than the week before please, thank you.
Stuart Luxton has also invited us to the farm at some point this year-info will be available soon. The Luxton herd have always done very well in our bi-annual herd competition and have course hosted many a YDP training day and our 40th anniversary celebrations to which the Club is indebted. I am sure Dudley will be looking down on us all when we go there.
We are invited by Kepak, Bodmin for a tour of the factory, an insight to the grading and they will also put on refreshments! Date is flexible, needs to take place in an evening so Id like to hear from you all as to what would work for you. They can cater for up 50 people, and I think this will be extremely popular. Anytime between now and November.
Biggest event of the year will be our Herd Competition. No mean feat for any judge to undertake, given the geographical area that the club covers. Our judge is to be confirmed but I have no doubt out of the suggestions put forward they will do the Club proud. The competition normally takes place in September. It will be open to any paid-up member of the Club and will be split into small, medium, and large herds when we have the entries. No size of herd too small or too large! There will also be prizes for Best Stock Bull, Best Cow, and Bull and Heifer calf born in 2024 and best group of in calf heifers. The prizes will be awarded at our dinner to take place in November or December.
Entry forms are attached with this newsletter, please would you kindly fill them out and return to me by the end of June 2024. If you were a previous winner of the last competition, please can you arrange to return your trophy to me. It can be returned to Sedgemoor or Exeter markets, my yard at Launceston or at my home in Tregadillett thank you.
We are hoping to have a stand in the cattle lines at Devon County in May, sadly the cost prohibits us from doing so at Royal Cornwall. Obviously, we would like to advertise bulls and any cattle for sale and to encourage people to visit our website. So, on that front can you please let me, or Alan know what cattle you have for sale so we can have an updated list and our Facebook page is also an extremely useful tool for selling cattle too. Named sire steers we can also advertise.
Hopefully, you will have received a copy of the Review from the Society and have seen the club post. Sadly, space is always limited so I sent what I could, hopefully this year we will be able to get some photos included from what looks like will be a busy year for the club.
Abbie and Robyn Westcott are running a calf show again at Sedgemoor on the 26th of April, perfect opportunity to get those youngsters out before show season really starts! There will be dedicated Angus classes, would be lovely to see the section well supported. Schedule will be available soon and Abbie can be contacted on 07542 942232.
I am sad to report the passing of Dilys Rowe of the Bosullow herd, loving wife of Irwin. Long standing member of the club and our condolences go to Irwin and the family at this sad time.
As many of you know I came back as Secretary after last years AGM, there were no other volunteers at the time. Running the lorries takes up an awful lot of my time as we are on the road 7 days a week. Id like to express thank you to Alan our treasurer for taking on a substantial amount of my work, I am indebted to him.
So, that covers it all for now, I hope to see as many of you as possible at the AGM and a little reminder the 2024 subscriptions are now due.
Lisa Davey
Secretary SWAAC