Esperance and Districts Working Sheep Dog Club hosts four-day State championship in Pingelly

The Esperance and Districts Working Sheep Dog Club held a massive four-day State championship in Pingelly over the weekend with strong competition drawing a big crowd daily. With many years of experience under his belt, Peter Gorman claimed the title with border collies Pendalup Steel and Pendalup Lucy producing solid runs. “The bloke that won it, Pete Gorman, he got first place with Pendalup Steel and second place with Lucy,” club president Steve Wallace said. “His first trial was in about 1967 and he’s been continually doing it since.” To sweeten the win, Rose Cassidy, a pupil of Mr Gorman, placed third. “She’s only been in the game about five or six years,” Mr Wallace said. “It’s never a surprise with Peter — Rose was a bit of a surprise but she really likes her dog and she works extremely well.” Mr Wallace said the event ran smoothly with 182 teams competing across novice, improver and open classes. “We would have had in excess of 200 people come to watch,” he said. “It’s the first time the State championships have been held in Pingelly, it goes from club to club but it’s probably nine years since Esperance has hosted it. “The demographics have all moved and a lot of the people down in Esperance have either died or moved on — one of the founders of the Esperance club moved to Waroona and he got in touch with a few people and that’s how it happened to be held in Pingelly.” Present at the trials was well known breeder and dog worker Ivan Solomon with his border collie Rocky Fran. Mr Solomon recently took out the WA Dog of the Year title with one of his Perengarys, Perengary Trish. The club has held three trials a year in Pingelly over the past three years and Mr Wallace said that the town always puts on a good show. “The Pingelly community is fantastic in regards to locating sheep and doing everything that we require,” he said. “All the grounds were there and all we had to do was put a few obstacles up.” The club’s next Pingelly trial will be held on Anzac Day in 2024. In the meantime, the club will be holding trials at the Albany Agricultural Show in November. Mr Wallace said the welcome the group received in the Wheatbelt was unique. “It’s absolutely amazing, the tourism group provide breakfast every morning,” he said. “Because of the the caravan show held over the weekend most of the eating venues were booked out. “The Pingelly Golf Club came to the party and put on a smorgasbord dinner for us on Saturday night, you can’t ask for better and we’re so grateful for the hospitality.”