SHEEPVENTION’S Victorian Working Dog Championships, both this week and into the future, have been bolstered by the installation of around $50,000 in news yards – a gift from sponsor ProWay.

Like all volunteer events, championships organisers take on the massive task of setting up and dismantling the yards every year, and when approached by Ian O’Connell about some assistance with installing permanent infrastructure, ProWay came to the party – and then some.

“They said given the significance of Sheepvention and the relevance and importance of working dogs to the farming community and industry, they donated us a brand new, permanent set of yards to be set up in the middle of the Showgrounds … it’s an amazing donation and we’re really grateful,” the championships’ Ian O’Connell said.

Local Proway manager, Jono Withers, was on hand to see the new yards have their first road-test over the weekend and said he was delighted with the set-up – particularly given his personal connection to the event.

“We replicated the last yards that were here and my mother, Nancy Withers, trialled this yard for 15 years,” Jono said.

“She was telling me this facility was the hardest yard trial facility on the whole circuit between New South Wales and South Australia.

“I’d like to think the new yard still presents some challenges; if we need to adjust a few things in the next few years to make it happen, we’ll work with it.”

The new set-up got a hearty tick of approval from newly crowned champion, Bree Cudmore.

“You get the paddock section, so you’ve still gotta have a dog that can handle stock with a bit of space on the outside,” she said.

“The yards flow fairly well, but the sheep made the real challenge, which was great; you don’t want the yards to be the whole challenge, you want the stock to produce the winner.”