Although, like many breeders, we began with our animals on agistment and used outside sires, once we moved to our own property we found that our location did not allow much outside mating. We had to use our own males, and, since we were concentrating on grey, these were grey males, beginning with Coonawarra Sir Galahad. In early 2002 we purchased Talca Rohani, after a lengthy search. In winter of 2003 we saw Elysion Mercury's first drop of crias and and came eventually to own him. Last season Forestglen Platinum's first crias arrived, and this year we began to use Morning Star Meriadoc.
IAR 429 Born: July 19, 1992
Medium Grey CERTIFIED MALE
Sire: Coonawarra G710 MG
Dam: Coonawarra G506 SDBR
"Smokey" was of average size but very heavily built. He was proud and dignified but very gentle and docile with people. His crias tended to have fleeces that stayed clean of debris and were finer than those of their dams, sometimes displaying the density, style and absence of hair that his fleece exhibited. (Photo 1997)
IAR 41577 Born: December 4, 1999
Medium Grey CERTIFIED MALE
Sire: Talca Shimon SW
Dam: Talca Senga BLK
We saw Rohani as a cria and maintained an interest in him, finally purchasing him in 2002. He is of medium size, cheerful and vigorous, while being very easy to handle. His crias have been nice-looking, often with finer fleeces than their dams, sometimes with high lustre and pretty style. He has been good with colour, with only two cria not grey or black. Rohani was shown twice as a junior, winning first place in his class on both occasions. His crias also did well, with Morning Star Bluebird and Morning Star Blueberry winning blue ribbons, while Morning Star Florian won Reserve over-18-month-old-male at the Nimmitabel show in 2007. (Photo early 2002)
IAR 34410 Born: January 25, 2000
Light Grey CERTIFIED MALE
Sire: Blue Grass Rising Son DG
Dam: Alpacapartners Marnie RG
Mercury is a well-known male who was shown extensively, winning his class at the National Show as a junior in 2000 and as an adult in 2001. In 2003 he won the Sire's Progeny class at the Charles Ledger Show, and all four of his first male crias were sold as future studs. One, Janannie Park Voltaire, won the senior grey male class at the National Show in Canberra in 2006. Mercury's offspring inherit his tractable nature. Mercury is particularly good with colour. His crias are unusually consistent in quality, with the best remarkable both in beauty and in fleece quality. He still looks great, and his eighth fleece still retains its style. (Photo spring 2003)
IAR 62129 Born: March 19, 2003
Rose Grey CERTIFIED MALE
Sire: Forestglen Maestro SW
Dam: Forestglen Porcelain SW
Platinum has an especially fine, pretty fleece. His sire is well-known and has produced a number of show supreme champions. His dam is by Purrumbete Oscar and out of World Class Grey Pearl, a lovely light grey Chilean female. He won his class at the Sydney Royal and at Castle Hill as a junior. His first crias are now young adults and are promising. Tests results on his fleece have always been impressive, and his fifth fleece tested very like his fourth at 22.8µ SD 3.5µ CV 15.3%.(Photo winter 2007)
IAR 81995 Born: December 20, 2004
Solid Black CERTIFIED MALE
Sire: Elysion Mercury LG
Dam: Janannie Park Juanita SBLK
Meriadoc has a beautifully structured, heavy fleece that is maintaining its fineness at third shearing at 22.0µ SD 4.6µ CV 20.9%. He is working and we look forward to his first cria in spring 2008. Although Meriadoc is related to many animals in our herd, so that his use is limited, we are proud to have made our own sire. (Photo winter 2007)