Many young agricultural enthusiasts are lucky to get to two or three stock handling competitions in a year, but for one south-east South Australian family they are an essential activity.
Key points:
- A Lucindale family has won big at the recent Angus Youth Roundup held in Tamworth
- The four children compete in about a dozen handling competitions a year
- Their experience is encouraging them to look to a future career in agriculture
All four kids are not only regularly competing in around a dozen competitions a year, but regularly winning.
Emily, Maddie, Charlotte, and Austin Hann, from a farm near Lucindale, all recently won big at the Angus Youth Roundup held in Tamworth beating out stiff national competition.
The family is a regular sight at other major handling events such as the SA Junior Heifer Expo and the royal shows in Melbourne and Adelaide as well as country shows.
But they scooped the pool at their most recent competition, with 14-year-old Maddi victorious as sub-intermediate champion in the herdsperson category, and twin sister Emily named reserve champion.
"I like to win, I don't like losing or coming second really," Maddi said.
But Emily was able to clinch victory from her sister in another category when she was named the junior judging sub-intermediates champion with Maddi coming in third.
"There was a lot of competition there, so I wasn't really going in expecting anything. So it was good I could come though and win a few things," Emily said.
Emily thinks Maddi and her competitive nature comes from having to go up against her siblings.
Still, she is happy when her sister Maddi gets a win — most of the time.
"She has got to have a win every now and then," Emily said.
"We are always competing against each other. It is hard because we are very similar."
Twelve-year-old Charlotte is already pressing her case, awarded reserve champion in the herdsperson junior category and junior reserve champion of the marketing competition.
Even at such a young age, Charlotte has already lost count of how many competitions she has competed in but still loves doing them.
"It was really fun, and we all did really well," she said of their wins at the Roundup.
The youngest family member is also showing great promise.
Austin, 10, was awarded champion parader in the pee wees age group at the recent awards.
Making future ag stars
Carting multiple kids, and cows, around the country is not an easy task, but mother Natalie Hann says it is all worth it in the end.
"It is a lot of effort but we just figure that the kids get a lot out of it," she said.
"There are other aspects to it — such as public speaking, personal presentation — so a lot of those life skills they are picking up at these events I think are excellent, and just making them a better person."
Natalie said she has been proud of all her kids' work ethics when it comes to competitions but is still surprised with just how well they always seem to do.
"There are a lot of really great, young people out there doing what we are doing. They have been very lucky," she said.
The family brings along other agricultural kids from the area to compete in events when they can, knowing not all families have the resources to attend so many competitions a year.
"We often have half a dozen other kids who come with us," Natalie said.
"We just feel it is an opportunity to give back to other people what people gave to us when we were getting started in the industry.
"It just gives them [the children] a taste of what else is out there."
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