This page recreates some of the posts on our facebook page about the Society’s Centennial Tour in 2026 as well as copies of speeches and other events all in one place as part of the NZ Southdown Sheep Society historical archive.
This article by Annette Scott in the NZ Farmers Weekly is a good starting place.
A century of Southdown Sheep Society celebrated in Canterbury
Life members John Wynyard and Peter Campbell cut the centennial cake.
One hundred years of the Southdown Sheep Society was celebrated at its grassroots with a centennial dinner at Riccarton House, where the first New Zealand Southdown stud was registered, in 1863, by James Deans.
The milestone celebration saw breeders from across the country gather in Canterbury for the centennial dinner and conference that went on to include three days of field trips visiting Southdown studs across the region.
One hundred years of Southdown sheep was celebrated with a centennial dinner at Riccarton House.
NZ Southdown Society president Chris Medlicott said a feature of the celebrations was the Elite Southdown Ewe Auction of five ewes, donated by five individual breeders across the country, with all the proceeds going to the society’s promotional fund to support the costs of the centennial celebrations.
The ewes achieved well above expectation at an average price of $2540 each.
Other highlights included long-time breeder Stuart Brannigan being honoured with life membership, and Christine Ramsey was recognised for her 45 years of service as the society’s secretary, her dedication and commitment over such a long period documented as “extraordinary”.
Looking back on the 100 years, breeders reflected times past “when genetics used to be an art form; now it’s a science”.
“The most successful breeders are the ones who have been able to blend those as a total package.”
The NZ Southdown Sheep Society was formed in 1926 after the breed had become strong in its own right. With 490 active flocks recorded at the time, the decision was made to separate from the Sheep Breeders’ Association, where Southdowns had been one of the founding breeds.
The Southdown Sheep Society evolved alongside the fortunes of the breed throughout the 20th century. Stud numbers peaked during the late 1950s and early ’60s before entering a period of decline, when the Southdown was unfairly blamed for the excess fat associated with the Southdown-Romney cross, at the time the dominant fat lamb produced for international markets.
At its peak, the breed was setting world-record prices for stud rams at ram fairs and providing excellent livelihoods for some of the country’s finest stockmen.
During the late 1960s and ’70s, breeders and stockmen worked together to develop the type of animal required to meet NZ Meat Board specifications.
This collaboration led to the establishment of a scientific committee, which worked alongside some of the country’s leading university experts.
Their work included obtaining, measuring and shipping container-loads of Southdown-cross meat to the United Kingdom to gather scientific data and market feedback.
“That work laid the foundations for what later became carcase evaluation at our Royal shows and, ultimately, the performance recording systems, ultrasound technology, and CT scanning we rely on today, tools that allow breeders to compare apples with apples and make measurable genetic progress,” Medlicott said in his centennial address.
“While today is about celebrating the sheep and the breed itself, it is also important to acknowledge the people behind the scenes. Remarkably, over the course of 100 years, the society has had only three secretaries, a testament to the dedication and continuity of service within our organisation.
“Our society, and the people within it, continue to evolve. It is hard to imagine what breeders and their studs will look like another 100 years from now. Yet when we look back through our history, some things have never truly changed, despite the sheep themselves evolving over time.
“The Southdown has always been a meat breed, an early maturing sheep producing exceptional quality and flavour.
“As we look ahead, we must continue working together for the good of our breed and its people, combining stockmanship, measurement, technology, and the sharing of knowledge.
“By doing so, we can preserve the integrity of our purebred Southdowns while continuing to achieve sustainable genetic gains that support productivity, efficiency, and the future viability of NZ’s sheep meat industry.”
read full President’s speech here
The “On Tour Report” courtesy of Facebook
The Southdown tour through Canterbury celebrating 100 years as “The Southdown Sheep Society of New Zealand (Inc)”. We had a really successful trip, thankyou to all those who participated from all over NZ and our fellow breeders from Southdown Australia the bus was full and overflowing.
A special thank you to Louise Christie and her committee for organising such an interesting itinerary with plenty of quality sheep to look at and fun camaraderie over four days we were certainly well fed and watered as is normal on these tours.
Highlights were
- the lunch at Riccarton house to celebrate 100 years where it all started with the Deans family having the first NZ Southdown Stud in 1863. Stu Brannigan the breed’s newest life member put together a fantastic historic display here to.
- The Elite ewe auction which raised over $12,000 for 5 very good ewes to help subsidise the tour and for future promotional costs, thank you Bruce Orr and bidr for running the auction.
- The tour of the family owned Rakaia island dairy farm, milking 4800 cows, a very profitable and productive business with a real focus on sustainable values.
- The centennial jersey and merchandise looked outstanding on the punters thankyou West Ridge NZ Wild South Clothing and Kea Printwear for your support.
- A special thank you to the breeders who opened their gates to show us their stock we really appreciated it. It was noted that the last four breeders in the flock book along with the first who’s stud Silverdale Southdown Stud was established in 1928 were on the bus and that we are headed into our next 100 years with a really positive outlook.
Other historical documents
Tour Gallery
A photo gallery of some of the photos captured on the tour. If you havve some special photos that you would like to add to this gallery please email them to markmedlicott@gmail.com and ideally a caption about the photos.
