Winton Droughtmaster stud principal dies unexpectedly at home

Peter was fatally injured in the stockyard on the family's home property, Koondi, near Corfield, between Winton and Hughenden, on Thursday, December 1.

Peter's contribution and passion to the Droughtmaster breed and his community has been exemplary.

He and his late father Ron began breeding Droughtmasters in the 1960s, and it was in 1987, three years after moving to Anrod, 120km north of Winton, that Peter established the Rondel stud, stud 594.

Peter and his wife Deleece Carrington are well known for running the largest registered Droughtmaster herd in Australia, 1679 head as at July 2021, along with their son Luke and wife Jayna, and daughter Lakisha and her husband Zach Muntelwit, with Rondel genetics now known in every state of Australia and even offshore in South Africa.

In September this year, at the Droughtmaster National sale, the Carringtons created a new national record for the breed, purchasing Oasis A Long John for a whopping $220,000 from the Geddes family, Rockhampton and Dingo.

At the same sale, after years of battling drought, the team at Rondel Droughtmasters proved that resilience was key, achieving a record average and their highest ever sale price.

Rondel Black Tuxedo sold for a princely $180,000 after a bidding war that started at $50,000. The bull was also a top 15 finalist in ACM's 2022 Sire Shootout competition.

Rondel set a blistering average of $33,666 for their 24 bulls sold across the sale and were also awarded 'best pen of bulls," as voted by their fellow vendors.

Dane Pearce, Nutrien's stud stock manager North Queensland, who has worked with the family to sell their progeny over a number of years, said the news of Peter's loss had been very sad to receive.

"He was a lovely man, from a very tight-knit family," he said. "Peter was a real gentleman, very welcoming, just a good all-round genuine man."

Winton agent Tom Brodie first encountered Peter when he and his wife Emma moved in as neighbours at Corfield Downs in 1994, and said he'd been a great support to them.

"He was a quiet, genuine achiever," Mr Brodie said. "There was never any fanfare with him, but when he spoke, everyone listened."

Mr Brodie said he had also been a great community person, saying he couldn't count the hours he would have put in to the sports club and race club at Corfield.

"The community could always rely on the Carringtons," he said.

Peter is survived by his wife Deleece, son Luke, daughter-in-law Jayna, daughter Lakisha, son-in-law Zach, and grandchildren Summer, Indie, Bailey, Cody, and Rylie.

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