For over 30 years, the Weston family has been cultivating premium Hereford cattle in first Pakenham and now Tynong. Started originally by Paul Weston and his father Richard, his sister Kathy also joined over time to breed precious Guy Fawkes brumbies. Both the bovine and equine endeavours have won numerous show awards both near and far, making them a gem of local farming.
Nestled on seemingly the most pristine section of Tynong is a Pakenham Poll Hereford where Paul Weston breeds the titular cattle.
Polled Herefords are an American variant of the iconic British breed originating from Herefordshire, though they do breed horned Herefords today.
Paul has been working with Herefords since 1993, when he started the farm alongside his father Richard.
His liking for the breed started when he was very young and the family was still living in the United Kingdom.
“At the age of five, our neighbours had a Hereford and I remember just being in awe, I wanted one,“ he said.
The family immigrated to Australia in the 70s, where they lived originally in Harkaway and then acquired a property off Toomuc Valley Road.
The family earned a living raising poddy calves and selling them back to dairy farmers.
It wasn’t until 1993 that Paul’s childhood dream of owning Herefords came to life.
Today, the farm operates with about 100 head of cattle and has become a premium producer sought by farmers well beyond the local area.
Despite all the years that have passed, the demand for Herefords never wanes.
“It’s the temperament of the Hereford and their longevity, they are very good converters in times like drought, as we have now,“ Paul said.
Selling seedstock is a large part of the enterprise and artificial insemination (AI) is used exclusively at the farm to ensure genetic diversity.
Alongside this, Paul also presents his stock at local agricultural shows at Warragul and Dandenong, as well as at the Royal Melbourne Show and Farm World.
Because of the quality, Pakenham Poll Herefords has a strong base both locally and interstate.
“We had someone come to us at Lardner Park (Farm World) and say the only reason they came to the show was to buy a bull from us,“ Paul said.
Much like Paul did with his father, his son is taking a keen interest in the work. Tyler Weston is still only in his 20s, but has been a key part in developing AI further at the farm and will attend the World Hereford Conference in the United States later this year.
Not everything has been the same during the farm’s time. Over ten years ago, the family bought a large property in Tynong where they operate today.
Since then, Paul’s sister Kathy Weston has joined the farm and opened efforts in the equine sphere at her Manobier Park Heritage Horses.
Specifically with brumbies, including the coveted Guy Fawkes brumbies. Cathy develops these wild horses to become show-winning breeds.
Not only do many come from a wild setting, but some can come from places where they were mistreated and have previous trauma they must work through.
The body language and temperament are completely different for brumbies. Where a person expects a horse to naturally come up to you, expecting a pat or a feed, these horses have none of that conditioning and must be worked, commonly over a period of years, to become accustomed to humans.
“Brumbies are very clear on their body language and their communication, they’ve grown up in a herd,” Kathy said.
“So when a human comes into their life, they need to communicate and they need much more than a domestic horse.”
Guy Fawkes Heritage Brumbies are highly valuable wild horses as they are the offspring of Australia’s initial remount trade.
The horses bred in what is now known as Guy Fawkes River National Park in NSW, would be shipped to serve in the British Army from the early 1800s.
“The horse be entire, sound in wind and limb, over 3 years and under 7 years, over 14hh and under 15hh, half thoroughbred and able to carry 17 stone,” was the directive from the Crown.
A horse of this calibre would be worth a year’s wage for the average farmer at the time.
Famously, these horses carried the Australian Light Horse Brigade to victory in the cavalry charge at Beersheba in 1917.
They were superb horses and their descendants today have been protected in the national park to keep their genetics intact.
“The Guy Fawkes horses are known for that, for their presence, their movement and their trainability,” Kathy said.
This tough work is what Kathy does regularly and she has the results to show for her efforts.
Southern Cross Heritage ‘Spellbound’ is a multi-champion show pony in the Brumby category as well as Open Hunter, Buckskin and Pinto.
“He’s in everybody’s lap, he’s the ideal show horse, he loves it, absolutely loves it,” Kathy said.
’Pandora’, a fellow Guy Fawkes brumby, was reserve champion at this year’s Geelong Royal Show.
Guy Fawkes brumbies have a strong mix of bloodlines that make them unique.
Extensive feathering and white blazes, for instance, reveal the influence of Clydesdales.
Many of Kathy’s brumbies have a striking cream/palomino colour, which is believed to have been contributed by ‘Saladin’, a stallion in the 1870s, which is listed by the Australian Stock Horse Society as a ‘sire of significance’.
Excitingly, this year will be the first year of shows for Wirraway Park Heritage ’Krystal’.
A mare with high expectations, Krystal is already a story of triumph.
She arrived at the paddocks not only unconditioned for humans, but actively fearful as she faced previous trauma.
“This little girl unfortunately met the wrong people in her life, and we don’t know what they did to you, Krystal,” Kathy said.
“When she turned up here, she was covered in lice with every bone in her body showing.”
Somewhere along her previous life, she became blind in one eye, which did not help in the prospects for rehabilitation.
“When she turned up, she’d just go to the furthest corner and just stand there watching you,” Kathy said.
“If you got in the yard, she just flew at you with her teeth bared, she was terrified.
“It took a long time, one for her to trust me, and then for me to introduce her to other humans.”
Yet, Kathy persisted all the way through, working bit by bit to rear Krystal into the spectacular and friendly horse she is today.
“I’m really proud of her, you know, her ability to trust humans after meeting the wrong people,” Kathy said.
Krystal will start her run as a show pony in October this year.
Kathy’s ethic is built on deep compassion for the brumbies, where it is about becoming the horse’s own ‘herd’.
“I personally believe no horse should really be passed on, I know that’s not possible in our world,” Kathy said.
“You become part of their life and they rely on you.”
You can see more by following the ’Pakenham Poll Herefords’ and ‘Manobier Park Heritage Horses’ facebook page.
