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SKIN TESTS................. SRS and MORE....... 2008.

Havng been a busy year, some wheels have been turning very slowly!
Especially this one! That is, the taking of our skin Biopsies!!!
We had Jim Wtts come in MAY to check on our progress with the breeding towards the much sought after truly SRS alpaca.........
And you guessed.......
still not there! We did however score a 5 (top score!) for length on a 5 month old cria......... the first Jim had awarded, so that was very pleasing. We have a good smattering of 4's throught the better end of the herd.......... THE OBJECTIVE?..... to have 4's & 5's through the WHOLE herd!!
BUT we're getting there!! I will have further confirmation of our progress after Karen finishes weighing the 350 fleeces taken off this spring shearing so far, as well as the fibre results back after we split the 450 (or more) samples take from the midsides the week before last!! Half for our records, and half for the testing house.
If I can do it, YOU can do it!
Don't forget, the final confirmation of improvement, OR NOT, comes with your AGE results, which, incase you missed it, is free for a few years, as it is being paid for by your Association in an attempt to get the National Herd to a higher level........... principally so that the we can make it commercially viable, but also to have the rest of the world aspire to our quality!!.......... and it is already happening! Why would England increase it's sceening costs TEN fold just recently!! Because they are frightened of real competition, and wish to protect their markets!!! Seems a likely raeson, does it not?

SHEARING so far has been in 2 batches.................
Chris Power, and handler Carl Howarth, sneakily got us to our record last Thursday..........98 shorn, beautifully of course, all off, and with a shaped bonnet, looking attractive, not like a lolly-pop, in a normal shearer's day!!! I'll be over it soon. Seventy five the next day with a 7.30 am start, and he and Carl home in Gosford by 6.30 pm after a three hour drive up north on a holiday weekend!!! Is it any wonder that all I could do yesterday, Saturday, was get the website up to date!!?? Legs.... what are they?

THE CRIA this year have been sensational.....lots of the WOW! factor..... the look is changing every year........
They are drying off, but still loking wet........ the LUSTRE is blinding. The individual bundling, even at day 0 is very evident; the length at birth, LONG tips; The look is reminiscent of a luscious and creamy , slippery surfave, begging to be stroked and bathed in! Gone (except for the older generations still popping the odd one out!, gone are those fluff balls, bouncey things with shorts fleeces, and, yes some lustre, but basically only on the skin (mostly beacause they don't roll much as babies)!! Can't wait to see what happens.............
And it can be disappointing initially, especially if their mothers are great milkers!! Look at your babies' staples and read their progress through life so far......... a good milker will produce a well grown cria with a fleece that will flatten out, and grow at a great rate, leaving those attractive curls behind! Wean the cria, and you again will see what that alpaca should be doing! Tell me if you don't see a difference.

Again, without jumping the gun, we will wait for our objective assessments to make sure we are travelling in the right direction.
Appropriate skin tests, mostly on Jim's recommendation, (they are expensive), raising of the fleece weights, consolidating the evenness of micron, and/or dropping of micron, the constant mindfullness of handle.........SO IMPORTANT!!, the improvement of length, especially as the animals get older........... and all the time maintaining good frame.... don't loose sight of the coat-hanger!!
It is common to find alpacas that are great as youngsters,but that fall over a few years down the line! Girls that are lactating and pregnant, only producing 5or 6 cms of fibre a year!! NOT ENOUGH! I just measured and have shorn our first and second timers that are now growing respectable fleeces (10 m-12 cms annually), at respectable microns. It's where we have to be..............
BUT, we haven't done the skin biopsies yet..... hopefully in the next couple of weeks. And then I will be in touch again!!! I HOPE!?

Date: 2008-10-05

FROM THERE (CHINA) TO WHERE ???............LIMA, PERU for APEC !!

My apologies for taking this weekend to get this site's news up to date ( that is the current year's news)........... it has really just been one of those years....
AND, it's not over yet!
Yep, you guessed it.
As President of your AAA (Australian Alpaca Association), and Chairman of the Board of The Australian Alpaca Association PtyLtd, Ian has been invited to attend the CEO section of APEC............
I've been told to get "2 NEW FROCKS"!! Yes, out of the jodpurs and shorts, wax the legs, scrub up, because who knows whose shoulders we might rub... President Bush (not likely!), Prime Minister Rudd (a little more, but still unlikely!).............
Gosh, won't it be interesting!?
I say interesting, as, being unaccustomed as we are to attending such prestigious and far reaching global diplomatic/governmental functions, we really don't know what to expect; they won't be discussing the latest in joint replacement, that is for sure.... Ian is more accustomed to that sort of conference.
We hope to take in a visit to a couple of the large mills where our (collective Australian) alpaca is processed..............
That will be fabulous.
Too short a visit to go up high........... I'm gratefull for that! Ian's last visit there cost him 5 kilos in weight (I know..... well worth it!) off the mid-line, and me one week of washing!!! Not a happy time that week! I like that sort of adventuring to the adventurous!
So now.............. Janet... I think my only fan..........
HANG ON FOR THE NEXT INSTALMENT!

Date: 2008-10-05

..........CHINA..2008..........

Well.
We went last year. So why this year?
Well, the flight is relativey cheap. We're getting older, and fortunately, older still ! ...........
Still so much to see.......; and do..........!
This time with our good friends, Kerrie fron Greewell Point, and the Hick's............ and unfortunately, Janie's dad's BAD cold!!
I went for only one week, as shearing, mid-side testing, and the regular worming of the herd were beckoning me homeward! (sounds romantic...not!)
First to a town near Giulin....YUNGSHOU. Boy, oh boy!! Amazing scenery. Stunning green valleys with the river runnning through, surrounded by giant "Karsts" (up to two hundrd feet high, made of limestone, but covered in greenery made of vines and shrubs on virtual vertical sides. Early Autumn, so still plenty of humidity!!! And the odd mosquito. But worth every minute for the tranquility and splendour of the surrounds. We had a balloon ride; just amazing. An incredibly different place to visit.
From here to Xian as Jane and Aldous hadn't seen the WARRIORS before. We caught up with a Chinese woman we had befriended last year, and everybody continued to cook their colds!
Me home, and the others continued on............. up north.
They managed a couple of Disabled Olympic events, cheering on our basketball team to victory......... they reported that the whole scene, the buildings and atmosphere, was just brilliant.
Communications became scant, and I later learned when they limped home a week later, why!
Janie had gotten sicker and sicker.............. ending with Pneumonia in one lung, and Ian too had gotten so CROOK, I think he felt his mortality!!! He doesn't remember much of his last couple of days, but fortunately they both managed to get onto the plane!!
Heavily into the shearing, I did notice he wasn't his usual self that Friday our daughter delivered them home. I guess the appearance of a coughing and barking wet beach towel must have alerted me, somewhat pale in colour and with a distant and bleary look in the eyes, ...when opened.............. ?
Next morning, bright and early, he checked himself into his workplace, our local private hospital, and stayed there on an antibiotic drip for the next week until he walked from his room to the operating theatre ............. afterall, somebody has to keep the show going!! The children are still being educated, the animals need to eat, the wages have to be paid............
Despite all of these dramas, China still holds attractions to us all.
What an amazing place for a visit! It lets you know you are alive.......... that is, along with the other 1.6 billion people there!
...........................

Date: 2008-10-05

MORE Single EMBRYO TRANSFER SESSIONS.................

Ah!
At last!
Time to relax, so better get another project!
More ET sessions. This year we have been doing sinle by choice. We like the opportunity of putting different males over a raft of females, the best of course, as, very often, of up to 16 donors, 2 or 3 will bear 2 embryos!! Most of the others produce 1 embryo.
As Jane Vaughan rightly points out, ET is not for the faint hearted!! A good bank of in-house males, and a relaible, large selection & high quality group of females is necessary..... nearly forgot........ A BANK!
Sometimes there are two embryos; sometimes one, sometimes none! Sometimes UFOs (unfertilised ova) from your most fertile and workhappy sire, ??????????, Nature is so unpredictable!
And just when you think you are home and hosed with the most exciting embryo 'on the block'................... SIDS, difficult birth....... it can be heartbreaking.
Oh, but the rewards from the successes!........ stunning bunch of expensive crias suckling on dams that would never be able to produce such quality!! Ah; SO good!
In just one year, it is conceiveable that one could have cria on the groud by upwards of 6 or more different sires mated to the same female! WOW!
These three "runs" preceeded our last trip to China (by half a day), and produced, from 38 donor flushes (using a total of 19 different donors), 31 embryos.................... of which I know at least 2 have dropped out, and certainly another few to fall............. that's nature!!
Expensive, but rewarding!

Date: 2008-10-04

THE COOLAWARRA AUCTION 2008.................

The day following THE WAC,.....................
can you believe it? YES! The auction! Fortunately, being held at Coolaroo Stud in Mittagong; but despite this, we still had to get twenty-one beautifully prepared (show condition), slightly educated, shining and well and happy alpacas, to COOLAROO (a 1 1/2 hour drive) by 8.30 am that day...........
No time left, after getting home at 9 pm the night before, to get show ribbons, to finish their "BLURBS", to prepare tomorrows clothes, etc, etc, ................. no sleep either! Literally..........
So tired; SO tired!
Too hard........... I really don't remember too much; my head was in a spin. Except we really wanted more money for these gorgeous alpacas, but had to be satisfied with what the market would bare!
Despite the doom and gloom, most were sold........ but then ILLAWARRA bought a half share in a superb young female, so any profit was on its way to beng gobbled up!

The top price for tha auction saw Jenny Jackson adding to her bank of donor females with the $34,000 purchase of the Coolaroo's RAS Champion, COORIE'S LUNA.
There was an average of around $6,000.
The exciting part was the fact that 5 of ILLAWARRA's alpacas are headed overseas to spread the word about the Illawarra stable. Yucatan, let me remind you, had started already with his only progeny in NZ gaining two SUPREMES huacaya from just 2 shows!! A Yucatan son is headed for Canada, COMRADE, and a daughter, BERNAISE, to NZ. Also, a Mars son, CHE SERA, and a Statement son, BAGUETTE.
GREAT STUFF!!

Date: 2008-10-04

ILLAWARRA'S Autumn Shows..............

Well, .......... what to say...........
Not our best year.....................
Different day!
Different Judge!
Different competition!
When's all's said and done......... their opinion! We still love our alpacas! Tough out there though!!
ILLAWARRA YUCATAN didn't let us down though!
The Royal Easter Show kindly hosted, but did not judge, the first ever INTERNATIONAL FLEECE SHOW, attached, of course, to THE WAC!
WOW! AQIS came to the fore, and special provisions were made for any overseas fleeces that might eventuate, should they be bold enough to enter such a sought after prize as this!
They were brave, and fleeces were submitted from Northern America, Europe, and New Zealand. And Well Done!! They managed prize winners out of the 500 total fleeces!!
After three days, the two judges, Jill MacLeod from Canada, and Cameron Holt from Australia, emerged with their reults!
Australia reigned supreme with our friends, Jenny Staples and her dam, Maureen Carey, Forestglen, submitting the fabulous fleece of SETH!! .......... BUT.................
ILLAWARRA YUCATAN still managed a CHAMPION!!! 48-60 months.....what a star!!
And, PLANTEL ILLAWARRA BARDOT, Yucatan's daughter, managed a Reserve Champion........ second to Bardot in her class was another Yucatan daughter, Illawarra BOTTICELLA. Their class was the hotly contested 12-18 ,months white.
What a bloke!! There were other ribbons, but these were our most cherished!
Well Done WAC!!

Date: 2008-10-04

WORLD ALPACA CONFERENCE 2008 (or, THE WAC)

Following the October National Show and Sale, life at Illawarra followed as usual with our standard Christmas celebrations............... except, with the continuing overpowering preparations for the coming WORLD ALPACA CONFERENCE !! On top of this was the impending COOLAWARRA AUCTION, to be held the day following the WAC............
Oh my goodness! Madness!
However, both were achieved, both with success!

The WAC was fabulous, and a great vote of thanks and congratulations must be given to the tireless Heather Vickery! Held at Darling Harbour, Sydney, in arguably the most beautiful city in the world, in Autumn, still warm, not hot and not cold .......... just fabulous. Three days of listenng, chatting, laughing, learning, eating, meeting, networking, with alpaca breeders and hopefulls from all over the world. Sensational food, and plenty of it! Just great. The conference was capped off with a great dinner, entertainment and fashion show, with the Peruvian Ambassador, His Excellency Claudio de la Puente, as special guest of the Association.
EVERYBODY said it was a great success! Fully subscribed. No room at the INN!! So successful, the Americans leapt at the idea of hosting the next WAC in 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. The British grabbed the next chance to host, but I'm not sure if that one will be 2010, or where!!
Congratulations Australia for getting this tremendous Alpaca Ball Rolling!!
(P.S......... I had written more, but accidently deleted it!!!)

Date: 2008-10-04

HOW TIME FLIES........2007 NATIONALS...................

Goodness gracious!!
Nearly a year since this was added to......... only seems like the other day!
2007 NATIONAL SHOW & SALE.......
ILLAWARRA had mixed fortunes here. It seemed that in the fleece sections we could do no wrong!
We came away with 3 CHAMPIONS, 4 Reserve CHAMPIONS, Supreme CHAMPION, & The Bill Plunkett GRAND CHAMPION FLEECE.
MARRIGLEN MARS won Supreme & Grand (this was between Huacaya & Suri) Champion (for his 3rd time), YOHIMBENE was Reserve to Mars, Adonis & Anastasia Champ & Reserve, Bently & Belvedere Champ & Reserve, with 2 of Yucatan's daughters, Bardot & Botticella taking out Champ & reserve as well! Anywonder we were blown away!!
I must say, when I skirted those fleeces for the National, I too was very very pleased with them. Mars scored the incredible scor of 91.5....
Bently, our promising young sire, was only 2 points away, with a stunningy lustrous, long, soft even, bold & deeply crimped magic fleece. So proud!!
In the ring, things weren't going all our way.......... BUT Yucatan had a fabulous 3rd in the hotly contested, later dubbed "THE CLASH of the TITANS", behind Thor........
The other standouts were, BARDOT who managed a Reserve Champion, and YO YO, up against whites in the Senior class, scored a 1st, noteably because of his still gorgeously soft & silky handle on a beautifull proportioned frame.
Not bad, but could have been better!!!!!!

Date: 2008-07-04

Latest SRS skin tests........

We had 6 skin tests done by Dr Jim Watts on his recommendation in June 2007. One girl, recent Royal Easter Show Champion Adult Female 2007, Illawarra Anastasia, came back with a fabulous result!
Follicle density of 61.5, mean fibre diameter of 21.8, 13 S/P Ratio, Fleece Length .44, only 7micron between average Primary and average Secondary & both with an sd of 3.9micron, and a skin thickness of 1.75 (mm compressed). FANTSATIC!
She was mated this afternoon to Illawarra Yucatan for a flush next week in a MOET programme!
Keep the fingers crossed!!!!!!!!
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Date: 2007-08-02

Illawarra Yucatan reigns supreme! Southern NSW Region Annual Show, July 2007

Illawarra Alpacas had arguably its greatest show success yet when they attended the Southern NSW Region Annual Show this weekend. With 7 alpacas in tow, they joined a record 300 entries in the polar environs of icy Goulburn.

With them, they had Sydney Royal 2007 Supreme Champion Huacaya, and recommended SRS sire Illawarra Yucatan, their 4 1/2 year old flagship sire owned jointly with Chris Davy, of Wyndarra Alpacas, Bungendore. Illawarra's show team included a white and a fawn intermediate female, both Yucatan progeny, whilst Christine's team consisted of just two Yucatan progeny, a male and female, both white juniors.

At the end of the day, these five animals had won between them five championship ribbons:
Champion Junior Female
Champion Intermediate Female
Reserve Champion Intermediate Female
Champion Adult Male
Supreme Champion Huacaya Alpaca (Illawarra Yucatan)

To top off the day, Yucatan's four progeny, the two intermediate females and the two juniors, won first and second place in the strongly contested field of 13 entries in the Sires progeny! An awesome record!

Yuckers celebrated his domination with a mating in the car park, before being shipped back home for a champagne dinner of lentils and lucerne. See under "Not For Sale" for photos.

Ian Davison

Date: 2007-07-31

OPEN DAY July 22nd

Our Open Day has come and gone, and we had a small group of enthusiastic visitors, mostly new breeders, who spent a cool but sunny day with us.

Ian gave a presentation on SRS, focussing on the development of the prepapillary cells, and relating their distribution to fleece characteristics in the mature alpaca, and then Harriet took the visitors through a hands on demonstration of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", which was a practical exercise in identifying the good and bad points of fleece and conformation.

After lunch, Ian delivered another presentationon Skin Testing for SRS, explaining the technique of sampling skin, the parameters which are measured, and the presentation and interpretation of results. This was followed by a further presentation on results from the AGE (Across-herd Genetic Evaluation program), showing how results are presented, how they can be applied, and what they mean.

Harriet finished the day with another hands on demonstration of skirting fleeces in preparation for showing, and then an inspection of sires and their progeny from the Illawarra herd, linking the sires to SRS skin test and AGE results, and then evaluating the progeny in the light of those results.

We enjoyed the day, as did our visitors. Hope to see several of them at the Wagga SRS Conference in August.

Date: 2007-07-30

China.........2007... Ian's perspective........

Harriet promised my views on China, but forgot to tell me. I only learnt about my obligations by visiting the site . . .

We went to China for three weeks as a part of a Shoalhaven trade delegation, led by our Mayor and a few Councillors, with a few locals tacked on. We were not sure what to expect, but thought we would test the water for interest in alpacas. We travelled from Beijing to Jiamusi, near the Russian border, then to Zheng Zhou, Deng feng, Xian, Fuzhou and Shanghai.

It was a fabulous trip, full of breathtaking insights into Chinese life and history, but it is hard to imagine a natural fit for alpacas with Chinese culture, economics and existing agriculture. We visited a model dairy, where the husbandry was very sad, and the Chinese do not seem naturally inclined to a sympathetic management of animals. We were told that there is no Chinese word for "husbandry." In fact, there is no word for "alpaca", which they translate as camel-sheep. They are overwhelmingly interested in overseas investment in China, but not nearly as interested in shipping their money overseas. They would be very happy for us to send animals to China and farm them there, but are profoundly disinterested in importing their own.

But one thing about China that is overwhelming is its magnitude: population, history, land mass. And opportunity. We are confident that there are opportunities to be found, and so have laid some plans for discovering them into the future. But for the moment, we are delighted to have visited the "awakening tiger", and look forward to our next visit . . .

Ian Davison

Date: 2007-07-30

SRS SEMINAR......... 21st & 22nd AUGUST 2007 WAGG WAGGA

This will be our 2nd SRS Seminar, following on the success of the inaugural seminar 2006.
A great oppportunity to get a handle on the reasoning behind, the process towards, and the resultant outstanding progress that has been made in both the sheep & goat breeds, and now happening in ALAPCAS!

Be a part of this exciting development!

See the SRS Website for more details.........................................

Date: 2007-06-23

OPEN DAY.........COMING SOON SUNDAY 22nd JULY 2007

The Coolawarra Team of Illawarra Alpaca Stud & Coolaroo Alpaca Stud, is again hosting a FREE information and Hands-On Weekend 21st & 22nd July 2007......

YES, in a few weeks time!!!

Put it in the diary, and if you feel you would like more practice with this amazing animal, or to further understand the SRS breeding system, to learn about AGE, and get those hands comparing FLEECE, have useful advice on farm setup, animal selection, and cria management, then please feel welcome, give us a ring, and come along.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE A SELECTION OF ANIMALS, MALES & FEMALES, FOR SALE, THEN PLEASE LET US KNOW.

All interested people, new breeders, prospective breeders, and well established breeders welcome.

SEE YOU ON THE 22ND JULY!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Date: 2007-06-23

CHINA VISIT - May 2007

Ian and Harriet have just returned from a fact finding look at CHINA...from the ALPACA point of view...... self funded..................

Yes China! A big, big country...................boy, oh boy, what an understatement!

As soon as some of the Presidential and orthopaedic duties are behind him, Ian will post our impressions here.

Keep you posted.

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23 June 2007, and Ian has been flat out !!!!! They did however get the CLBG up, a feat that has excited the association no end!

I will work on him, to give a brief summary of our impressions of China!!!!!!!!! Oh boy, WHAT A COUNTRY!

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Date: 2007-06-04