Forbes sheepdog trial, 1879: Kelpie and Tweed share the prize

Key facts

Documented edition

Forbes, New South Wales, 1879

Leading award

Shared by King’s Kelpie and Gibson’s Tweed

Entries in the reproduced report

Seven

The date correction is part of the story

Barbara Cooper’s WKC history challenges the often-repeated date of 1872 for the Forbes trial involving Kings Kelpie. It explains that early Forbes newspaper records had been lost in a fire and that a report found in a Sydney newspaper helped establish 1879. The article reproduces accounts from that year rather than relying on the later legend alone. It also connects the contest with the development of the Forbes pastoral show. The important conclusion is a documented correction for this particular event, not a new universal chronology of every Australian sheepdog competition.

Seven entries and a demanding penning task

The reproduced Parkes and Forbes Gazette account describes persistent rain, mud and a trial in the outer part of the showground. Each dog was to work three sheep into a yard ten yards square within a quarter of an hour. Only the judges could approach within one hundred yards of the pen. The entry list included Gleeson’s Corby, King’s Kelpie, Hearn’s Rover, Smith’s Lassie, Gibson’s Tweed and Bet, and Gerard’s Topsy. These details show a test of remote control and yarding under local conditions; they should not be silently converted into today’s course or class rules.

A shared decision rather than a sole victory

Both quoted accounts identify a division between Kelpie and Tweed, with one describing Tweed’s arrival from Tasmania specifically for the contest. The Gazette names the judges as Mylechrane, Webster and Waugh. Another account describes spectators watching through hours of rain and discusses equal prize treatment for the two owners. The historical significance therefore includes both the date and the shared award. Writing that Kelpie alone won an 1872 Forbes trial loses the two central corrections supplied by the evidence. The quoted newspaper publication dates belong in the citation trail and are distinct from an independently established day of competition.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

References for this guide. Rules and services can change; check the responsible organisation for current details.

• WKC — The Forbes Sheep Dog Trial and Kings Kelpie (opens in a new tab)

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