By Linda Mantova

Brahman cattle are responsible for more than winning ribbons for the show team at Maclean High School, in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.

They are teaching valuable life skills to the 35-strong Maclean High Cattle Show Team members, as well as another 100 students who have taken up cattle handling as a sports subject in the school curriculum, on top of the agriculture students at the school.

This recipe for success is being led by Maclean High School agriculture teacher, Chris Kirkland, who has been in the role for the past seven years.

He is rightfully very proud of his charge of cattle mad students, who have enjoyed a successful year on both the local show circuit and at Brisbane and Sydney royal shows.

Mr Kirkland is very passionate about how handling Brahmans and cattle in general assists young people in gaining skills such as resilience, hard work and empathy.

“Brahmans have played a huge role in our ag program. They are the most popular animal at the school because Brahman-infused cattle are so relevant to the beef industry around here, with almost everyone’s breeding herd having some sort of Brahman infused in it. 

“They have a lot of personality, and I think that is why the kids gravitate towards them.

“We started the cattle show team in 2021 with eight kids and it has grown each year – now we hover around 35.”

The school operates a Braford stud as well as exhibiting cattle for Graham and Julie Clarke of Aljulie Park Brahman stud, which is located only 10 minutes away at Palmers Island.

“However, a lot of our focus is on the Brahman side of things, mainly because it’s so relevant to our local area,” Mr Kirkland said.

“The Clarkes normally give us around five stud animals to prepare and show, and they donate a steer to us every year, which we get to choose. The kids go out on farm and choose what steer they want to show.

“The last two years we’ve taken that steer to the Ekka, and it’s been the only animal of that high Bos Indicus content out in the led steer ring.”

With Maclean High exhibiting the only purebred Brahman in the led steer judging at Ekka, Mr Kirkland believes that in itself has taught his cattle team students a lot.

“We have been about midfield for the carcase judging, which is pleasing, as this is with a purebred Brahman,” he said.

“But it’s more about the educational outcomes for the kids and putting a Brahman out there against all the flatback cattle which we are very proud of every year at Ekka.

“When we get our carcase results, and you see the meat quality of the Brahman and it’s right up there against purpose-bred cattle that are bred to win carcase comp’s, I think it shows their relevance out in the industry and the kids get a lot out of it.

“It always generates a bit of interest in the ring as well.”

Taking between 15 and 18 students from Years 10, 11 and 12 to the Ekka, Mr Kirkland said they exhibited 20 cattle this year, including eight led steers, their Braford stud cattle, the team of Brahmans from Aljulie Park as well as a team of Speckle Park cattle.

“The kids get a rounded approach with the Speckle Park, as there’s lots of grooming and clipping,” he said.

“In the Brahman ring, we got a third in the 12 to 14 months with a heifer named Aljulie Park Jade, and Aljulie Park Jolene placed second in the 16 to 18 months heifer class,” he said.

“Our cattle team also compete at Maclean and Grafton shows, along with Casino Beef Week, where we exhibit all week. We have just come back from the Lismore North Coast National Show where Joelene stood up in the interbreeds heifer classic, of around 40 animals in her class, and she placed third, which she also did in the interbreeds at Beef last year.

“We are also attending a Northern Schools Steer Classic in Walcha on November 24, 25 and 26, which will be our last show for the year.”

Mr Kirkland said he would be taking the Brahman team to Walcha, as the students really enjoyed parading them.

“At the Lismore Nationals last week, we won Champion School, as well as having two students win their age division for parading, and year ten student, Lily Small, taking home Supreme Champion Parader, and that was parading Brahman cattle,” he said.

“The kids have to show their skills when parading Brahmans, and can catch the judge’s eye by handling an animal with a bit of skill.

“I can see the difference between our school and a lot of other schools who only do led steers – because we work with Brahmans so intensively, breaking them all in. I can see a difference with our students because they are working with Brahman cattle, which are so smart.

“It just makes them more aware of what they are doing with the cattle out in the show ring. Also just understanding the temperament of Brahmans makes every other animal easier as well.

“They are working with them all the time in the cattle yards so they know how to treat Brahmans, and I think that’s given them a better understanding of reading them and working with cattle in general.

“It has been pretty interesting actually watching the progression with the Brahman cattle at the school over the last few years.”

Mr Kirkland said the passion for Brahman Cattle had been nurtured and flourished through the school’s very strong connection with local Northern Rivers Brahman Studs – Mogul, Bizzy and Jomanda.

“The school has had a very strong connection to these three studs which has seen educational outcomes for students that surpass imagination,” he said.

“This has included educational sessions of IVF and AI, donations of show steers, bull and heifer classifications, choosing show animals for the year, judging Brahman cattle and regular visits to these farms.

“We are really blessed to have three Brahman studs of this magnitude seeing the value our show team provides in the real life industry and assisting us along the way.

“It’s a privilege to take advice from such wonderful advocates of the Brahman breed and the wider beef industry.”

Mr Kirkland said they also had two students with a Brahmousin stud, who travelled an hour to school.

“They chose our school to attend to enhance their relationship, education and knowledge of the cattle industry,” he said

“This family donates Brahmousin steers to the program which have performed very well in the past, and we already have two selected for 2026.”

Mr Kirkland said the focus on the six-acre school farm was cattle, with the school also running a largely Brahman-infused commercial herd on an adjoining leased block.

“We are trying to breed our own show steers and make a bit of extra money to keep our budget going,” he said.

“The kids obviously work with the cattle on a daily basis – yarding, weighing, grooming, leading, and breaking in animals all year around.”

Maclean High School introduced Cattle Handling/Showing as a sport for Years 9 and 10 last year, with Years 7 and 8, coming on board this year.

“The cattle are also used in every Year 9, 10 and 11 ag class, as well as Primary Industries in Year 12,” Mr Kirkland said.

“In our 7 and 8 classes, they are working with our quieter cattle, and learn about the beef industry. They work their way up and get a love for the cattle, with some ending up joining the cattle team,” he said.

“We are in the 4th term of school and there are 20 Yr 7 and 8 kids currently doing it for sport, but we have probably had 50 kids rotate throughout the year.

“It was a bit of a master stroke when we started bringing it in for sport because there’s more opportunities for kids that don’t want to play footy or go swimming to work with the cattle and push their boundaries a bit.

“Working with any animal you can’t take any shortcuts. If you don’t treat them with respect they won’t respect you back. A lot of students these days can find the easiest way out, but there is none with cattle, and unless you put 100 per cent effort in, you are not going to get rewards back. We have some disengaged students who are sent to us by the deputy principal, and we mentor them and give them a go.

“It teaches them empathy, hard work and persistence, as some of the cattle take us 12 months to break-in. Especially Brahmans, as they are different to break in than other breeds because they are that little bit smarter.”

That resilience and hard work pays off and carries through to their school work, with seven graduating Year 12 students from the school cattle team, destined for the beef industry in some form.

“We retain those kids right through to Yr 12, as they love doing the shows and have a great connection with the school, which flows through to their academics,” Mr Kirkland said.

“Four of them have early entry to university to study agriculture, and the rest of them are going straight to work in the agricultural industry.”

Mr Kirkland said it was very rewarding seeing his students come through the ag and cattle team program.

“It’s definitely worth all the effort that we put in. We have a big team behind us from within the school and in the community with 100 people that either donate their time or sponsor us. They can see the outcomes of the last four or five years of kids that are going out into the workforce.

“And it’s not just in the ag industry, there are a lot of kids that have got apprenticeships as plumbers, chippies, electricians etc. I get up to ten calls per term from businesses looking for apprentices from within our cattle show team.”