Ballarat Grammar is celebrating 50 years of its official agricultural teaching program, winning a top ribbon for its sheep this year.
Story Ken Eastwood Photo Ballarat Grammar
Ballarat Grammar’s long-running agricultural program hit a major mark of performance in July, when it won supreme champion Corriedale at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show. “It’s the first time a school has ever taken out that prize,” says the school’s director of agriculture, Emily Cook. “It’s a real credit to the students – they’re out there with shovels cleaning out the pens, moving the sheep, trimming the sheep, doing the lamb marking and making decisions over which ones we are going to leave as rams. Then, when we go to the shows, they pack the car and make sure we’re ready for presentation.”
Emily says although the school is currently celebrating 50 years of its official agricultural program, “since the school’s inception in 1911, farming and agriculture have been a really important part of school life. At our Ballarat campus there were always veggie gardens, cows and sheep.”
As well as the successful school show team, 2025 saw 20 students doing agriculture for year 12, and the popular agricultural electives in years 8 and 10 have waiting lists to get in. Other students are completing their Certificate II in agriculture.
This story excerpt is from issue #164
Outback Magazine: Dec/Jan 2026
