Upgrades to the school grounds mean the students have been without cattle yards for over 12 months affecting their ability to prepare steers for the annual Wingham Beef Week Hooves and Hook competition.

But instead of giving up, they pulled together eight animals to take to the show (six belonged to students). Year 10 student, Georgia Dark said how not having the opportunity to prepare as they have in the past, was really disappointing.

“The competition was really strong this year. Lots of agricultural schools,” said year 10 Gloucester High School Kieran Schneider. He said it showed how behind they were compared to other schools.

This inspired Georgia, Kieran and Laura Dunlop (Gloucester High School student) to present their principal with a proposal for the students to start a committee for future events.

“It’s a way of getting students more involved in the planning process, “ said Georgia, “for students looking to take more responsibility.”

The proposal was approved and students are ready to start planning for the future. They will work together with the school Parents and Citizens' Association to prepare for upcoming shows. Their goal is to increase how many shows they attend from two to five. Thankfully, the cattle yards are almost done.  

Wingham Beef Week was held from Monday May 9 to Saturday May 14. Nineteen students, teacher Pete McCann, and volunteer former student Samantha Harris (agricultural tech university student) camped out for three nights from Tuesday May 10 to Friday May 13.

As well as the competition, students had an educational tour of the Wingham abattoir, learn about beef appreciation and how to judge different quality and cuts of meat.