Wagin was the venue for this year’s State Arena Championships, which was run by Centrals Sheepdog club.

Wagin is a small town about 230 south of Perth.
It is a beautiful ground with great facilities.
Improvements include a brick office and a new white fence.

The state dinner was held on Friday night at the Palace Hotel.
It was well attended and very much enjoyed by all, with delicious food and a lot of wine.

Unfortunately, we were not blessed by the weather and the sheep were somewhat difficult.
On Thursday and Friday morning the weather was fairly mild, but with chilly nights, and there was a light frost on Saturday morning. However, the freezing wind started on Friday and worsened as the weekend went on. By the time the open final was run it was blowing a gale. Modifications were needed to the race mid final, as the wind kept blowing it over. It was bitterly cold, and dust was flying due to the dry conditions.

The sheep were small Merino’s that could run extremely fast and refused to settle for most dogs. Many people retired at the race as the sheep kept making mad dashes back to the let-outs. Occasionally they settled for a team for some unknown reason, but basically it was luck of the draw as to how the sheep reacted. If the race was negotiated early then they were a bit easier going up the bridge but difficult to pen, in some cases going in and just coming out again. They were so reactive it was not easy to place the dog in a position of control to settle them.

Some of the more experienced dogs managed to put a score on the board, but it was hard going for most teams.
It was however an action-packed trial and provided a worthy challenge.
The trial was well attended, and it was great to see such a good roll up.

In the novice there were 56 entries and 12 scores.
In the Improver 51 entries and 17 scores.
In the open 81 entries and 26 scores.

There was a patrons award for the best cast lift and draw in each event.
Novice Winner was Neil Whyte and Barkervale Austin.
Improver winner was Jenny Palm and Brindabella Domini.
Open winner was Len Morton and Perengary Sadie.

As this was the last trial of the year, the Dog of the year was decided.
The winner was Peter Gorman and Coshies Dusty.
Runner up was Ivan Solomon and Perengary Sasha.

Author Nan Lloyd
Images by Nan Lloyd and Simon Wallace

Dog of the Year – Peter Gorman with Coshies Dusty

Novice Final Judged by Brad Rose

1	Tony Boyle	Boylee Cournel	64	70	134
2	Jenny Nolan	Nolans Jasper	55	51	106
3	Jenny Nolan	Nolans Dallas	52	41	93
=4	Gordon Curtis	Kumbark Scotty	55	Rtd	55
=4	Rod Forsyth	Barkervale Austin	55	X	55
6	Jenny Nolan	Nolans Dallas	52		52
7	Duncan Anderson	Pages Bouncer	42		42
8	Gibb McDonald	O’Kanes Ned Kelly	40		40
9	Nan Lloyd	Kumbark Lexy (K)	36		36
10	Caroline Bell	Bellview Tug	30		30

Improver Final Judged by Caroline Bell

1	Dave Lacey	Summerville Katie	73	79	152
2	Len Morton	Perengary Sadie	62	61	123
3	Duncan Anderson	Pages Bouncer	64	30	94
4	Gibb McDonald	Boylee Ben	68	22	90
5	Malcolm Seymour	Coshies Bella	50	15	66
6	Rod Forsyth	Barkerville Austin (K)	45		45
7	Tony Boyle	Chillie (KX)	44		44
8	Nan Lloyd	Kumbark Lexy (K)	42		42
9	Dave Lacey	MGH Jack	40		40
10	Marianne Rogers	Marionvale Aykeira	36		36

Open Final Judged by Wayne Hall

1	Peter Gorman	Coshies Dusty	67	78	145
2	Ivan Soloman	Perengary Trish	69	71	140
3	Tim Foster	Jandoree Sadie	73	65	138
4	Ivan Soloman	Perengary Di	64	63	127
5	Dave Lacey	Akoonah Blondie	68	46	114
6	Dave Lacey	Akoonah Holly	64	45	109
7	Peter Gorman	Pendalup Steel	59	46	105
8	Tanya Dibilj	Jarrah (K)	81	Rtd	81
9	Peter Gorman	Badgingarra Jem	76	X	76
10	Ivan Soloman	Perengary Sasha	72	X	72
=11	Peter Gorman	Princes Sally	62	X	62
=11	Peter Gorman	Pendalup Cloudy	62	X	62