Page 134 - 2020 NZ Hereford Magazine

Our Breeders

Taranaki stud

named after

French

orphanage

WORDS / PHOTOGRAPHS PETER McDONALD

THIS YEAR MARKS 60 YEARS since my showing career. I’ve been showing big dark-coated cattle with large brown
my parents, Tom and Tuki McDonald, virtually every year since, including 2019; spots around their eyes. Bob was a real
started the Gay Learning Polled Hereford about 58 years. gentleman and we bought cattle from
stud. Dad had always dealt with cattle Once we had our cows we had to him, including a bull called Acton Jolly.
and he was impressed with the way find a name for the stud. My mum was Our herd grew to around 135
the white face cattle did compared with always a great reader and she had registered cows at one point and Dad
other cattle, and he decided they would just finished a book about a French was selling a lot of bulls in the paddock
start breeding Hereford bulls. orphanage called Gay Learning that was to clients from out the back of Stratford
I think our first cows came from Tynan set up for kids after WWII. At that stage and as far south as Waverley.
Brothers at Te Kuiti from their Glen Hereford gay meant happy and bright and seemed Every year we picked out our show
stud, and we also bought a cow from to sum us up pretty well as a family, but it team and did the three Taranaki shows;
Mokairau stud in Gisborne, but that may wasn’t long before ‘gay’ took on a whole two in the spring, and New Plymouth in
have been a couple of years later. I can still different meaning. We did consider February. It was a great yearly event lining
remember Mum and Dad taking all six of changing the prefix at different times, up against other Hereford breeders who
us kids to Awakino to buy cows from Mick but apart from a few sniggers at the had started up in Taranaki. Stan Hooper
Tatham and we were all carsick in the back occasional sale, it was okay. had a huge older bull called Kaianga
of the car. We bought about a dozen cows One of the first bulls I remember Banner and we just couldn’t beat him. We
and old Mick gave us kids an old cow that was Roselawn Gold Colonel, followed always tried to take yearlings to the shows
had lost an eye through a twisted horn by Waimutu Hero, Parinui Atlantic, and to then on to the nationals, so every year
growing into it. So in the early 60s we were then Nithdale Balmark and Nithdale Stan would bring old Banner to the shows
on our way. Earnscleugh. Our first show bull with our and win all the cups. We McDonald kids
Mick also gave us a yearling bull own prefix was Gay Learning Amigo. were very happy when Banner finally
to take home and show and to get When we started our stud there was went to heaven, but then along came Ray
him ready for the Nationals. Lonsdale only one other registered breeder in Goldsack with his team of pets and they
Domino was his name and we took him Taranaki. Bob King had a Hereford stud became our next target. Goldie and I had
to the Stratford Show and got beaten on his hill country farm at Tarata, east of some real battles in the show ring but we
by Ian Parsons from Waverley with his Inglewood, called Braemar, and he had a were and still are good mates.
lovely big Angus, but it was the start of lot of Acton blood in his cattle. They were In those days the National Beef Week
in Palmerston North was the highlight of
the beef industry and Herefords would
have their week with their show and sale
and everybody involved with Herefords
would be there. I remember seeing
70 to 80 bulls lined up in the Akers
Pavilion and then shown and sold over
two to three days. The nationals were a
fantastic event and it was a great time of

THIS PAGE, TOP TO BOTTOM:
Peter McDonald with Meat and Wool
Cup winner Gay Learning Atlantic at the
Stratford Show in 1975; Hereford legend,
Fred Humphreys from Wilencote, presents
the champion pairs trophy to Peter and
Mike McDonald at the New Plymouth A&P
Show in 1975.
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