Following up the recent story in The Land on the influence of the highest priced Merino rams, the careers of the rams bought by Mike Gore has come to light.
Readers will recall the excitement Mr Gore well known property developer on the Gold Coast caused when he attended the Merino ram sales at Dubbo in 1989.
During that sale he paid $330,000 for a Collinsville-bred ram from South Australia and $190,000 for a ram bred by George Falkiner, Haddon Rig, Warren.
Each ram was immediately placed in an AI Centre.
"It was a stipulation of the insurance cover they never be let out of the shed," David McGilvray recalled.
Mr McGilvray was involved with the Dubbo ram sale through his position as stud stock agent with Elders and he had a ringside view of the purchase and subsequent career of each ram.
"On his place near Moree, Mike Gore had 7,500 ewes AI'd to each of those rams," he said.
"The ewe weaners were bought by Ewart Sylvester, Undabri, Goondiwindi but I don't remember what happened to the ram weaners," he said recently when discussing the aftermath of the sale.
When Mr Gore's nascent pastoral enterprise went into liquidation, the dispersal of the rams was arranged by David McGilvray who made aware to many in his pastoral network throughout western Queensland the possibility of sale.
One of those clients, Pat Bredhauer, Lambert, Charleville, Qld, was quick to see the possibilities in securing the rams at a low price even though they were six years old.
At the time he bred a small and unregistered Merino stud to breed rams for his own use and with about 150 rams for sale each year.
"I offered them $500 which was accepted," Mr Bredhauer said recently.
"It looked like a great opportunity at that price, I thought I was getting a bargain."
The rams were delivered to Charleville from the AI Centre at Narromine on a truck which Mr McGilvray had arranged to back load cattle to Dubbo.
Mr Bredhauer put the rams in the AI Centre at Blackall and this is where the story takes a sad turn.
"We never got a live lamb from either of the rams," he ruefully remembered.
"We were not able to collect any semen which might have been because they were too old.
"It was unfortunate but I did give them a go."