This Thursday we have to give a big shout out to the
Calgary Stampede and their generous donation of these fantastic Calgary Bull
Sale trophies! With recipients dating back as far as 1952, these trophies are a
unique and engaging way to take a peek back in time at the breeders that have
defined Angus as we know it today.
The Sir William Rootes Cup for the Grand Champion
Aberdeen Angus Bull was donated by Sir William Rootes of Stype Farms in
Glenalmond, Perthsire, Scotland. The silver cup has been used to commemorate
the top Angus bull since 1957, when Flint & Flint of New Norway, Alberta,
took it home for the first time.
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| Sir William Rootes Cup |
To the Reserve Grand Champion Bull goes the Bank of Nova
Scotia Trophy, which has been awarded since 1978 when it first went to the
Mackenzie Brothers of Mountain View, Alberta. Since then Gavin and Mabel
Hamilton of Belvin Angus have won it four times.
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| Bank of Nova Scotia Trophy |
The Alberta Aberdeen Angus Association trophy for Best
Pair of Aberdeen Angus Bulls is presented to the exhibitor who has both bred
and presented two of their cattle at the annual Calgary Bull Sale. The trophy
features numerous breeders and farms, dating back to 1952 with Roy Ballhorn and
followed by Old Hermitage Farm who won it two years in a row in 1953 and 1954.
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| Alberta Angus Best Pair Trophy |
The Alberta Aberdeen Angus Association has been
presenting this trophy for Best Group of Three Bulls at the Calgary Bull Sale
since 1952, when, like the trophy for Best Angus Pair, Roy Ballhorn took the
win. The following year saw the award go to Flint & Flint, with Old
Hermitage Farm winning the year after. The last time it was awarded in 2013,
Lorenz Angus Farms of Markerville, Alberta took home the honour.
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| Alberta Angus Best Three Bulls |
In tribute to Jack and Lillian McBride, the Best Group of
Five Bulls from One Breeding Unit trophy is a large-scale wall plaque that was
first awarded in 1998 to Cudlobe Angus of Stavely, Alberta. The previous year,
Jack and Lillian were fortunate enough to celebrate their 70th
anniversary, Lillian having married Jack at the age of 17 before moving to
Alberta where they started a purebred Black Angus herd. Jack passed away in
2001, while Lillian lived until 2013 before passing at the age of 102.
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| Jack and Lilian McBride |
In honour of the permanent home and new building of the
1984 Atlantic Winter Fair, this silver platter was created in honour of Don and
Betty Oland of Hosmer Farms in Kings County, Woodville, Ontario. Don Oland has
been an important part of the agricultural landscape in Canada, having founded
the Atlantic Winter Fair in 1963 and owning his own herd of Aberdeen Angus
cattle, which he bought with his wife Betty in 1969. The platter has been
presented to the winner of the Best Angus Breeder’s Herd since 1984, when the
Pyne Brothers of Truro were the first to receive it. It was last presented in
2014 to Wheatley River Farm.
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| Don and Betty Oland |
Post by Kiani Evans
