The name Nev Farrawell may not mean much to the vast majority but in stud cattle circles the man has become something of a living legend.
Among a long list of momentous achievements Mr Farrawell, Bonnie Brae Herefords, Tamworth, has been exhibiting stud cattle at the Royal Queensland Show for 64 years.
Agreeing to work a lone weekend for a Hereford breeder at North Star saw Mr Farrawell put in 27 years on the same property, which he credits for “getting his foot in the door” with the breed.
Mr Farrawell said at 16 years of age he took three bulls to the Ekka with his North Star employers, going home with second and fifth place ribbons for his efforts.
“I left there after 27 years and went to Tamworth and bought a place of my own to start Bonnie Brae,” he said.
“I was also feeding and showing other people’s cattle. I mainly brought Santas to the Ekka early on and if you look back I think I was about the only one to knock Yarrawonga off, so that was really something.”
Now 80-years-old, Mr Farrawell tells his story with the zest and passion of one half his age- a valuable trait to have considering a life threatening diagnosis.
“I was falling over a lot and they thought I had vertigo. It went on and on so I packed my bag and went to the hospital where they put me through the tunnel of love (CT scan).
“A nurse came and told me I had cancer and that didn’t go down too well. I had a nine and a half hour operation to remove a tumour the size of an orange that was blocking my spinal cord.
“They told me I might be married to a wheelchair for the rest of my life, but I said listen here- in three months time the Royal Queensland Show is on, I’ve been going for 60 odd years and I’m not missing it.”
True to his word, Mr Farrawell defied nurses’ orders and “walked the bitumen off the street in front of his house” to be back minding the aisles in the Hereford shed at this year’s show.
In reflecting on years gone by Mr Farrawell said the cattle section was much smaller than present times with Herefords and Polled Herefords the dominant breed.
“There were a few Angus and Devons, and Brahmans were considered the breed from outer space in those days,” he said.
“All cattle came by train. I was probably one of the first people to bring a double decker truck here and to the Sydney Royal.”
Mr Farrawell said he sold all his Hereford breeders bar three during his health battle with the remaining cows’ progeny shown at Ekka 2016.
“I’ve got plenty of mates here to help me out and I try to do my bit for them,” he said.
“I can’t do much and I get frustrated because I’ve always done it but they reckon cleaning the stalls and tidying up is a big help.
“When you think about it I’ve lived here for a couple of years- two weeks every year for 64 years- so why stop now?”
