National Sheepdog Trials Canberra: history and source guide

Key facts

Beginning stated by organiser

1943 [source]

Original venue in organiser history

Manuka Oval, Canberra [source]

The Canberra tradition

The organiser dates the trials’ beginning to 1943, when George Westcott was approached to help Legacy raise funds for families of fallen servicemen. Its history identifies Manuka Oval as the original venue. These facts anchor the Canberra series, not every competition with national in its name. Keep the series separate from the ASDWA Supreme, National Kelpie Field Trial and Australian Yard Dog Championship when organising historical pages.

Trophies and historical evidence

The history describes the Duke of Gloucester Sash being presented in 1945 and explains the later replica presentation. A trophy history can illuminate the sport’s culture without becoming a substitute for an edition’s results. If writing about an individual champion, locate the relevant result or contemporaneous account and retain the class. Do not infer an Open championship from a photograph showing a sash, especially if its caption is incomplete.

Understanding a visit

The organiser supplies a trial guide alongside schedule and trialler information. Its guide places welfare of sheep, dogs and people at the centre of the event and explains the stock-handling relationship. Use it to understand what spectators are watching, then confirm the selected edition’s venue and practical conditions. Avoid treating an historic Manuka location or a saved timetable as current travel instructions.

Build an edition-specific record

For research, retain year, class, handler, dog, score and source locator where published. A live scoreboard, draw and final results page are different stages of the record. Preserve corrections and do not assume that an online archive extends without gaps to the first event. Historical photographs, oral recollections and official results each provide different evidence; credit them accordingly and seek media permission rather than copying whole archives into a profile.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

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

• National Sheepdog Trials Canberra — official resources (opens in a new tab)
• National Sheepdog Trials — trial guide (opens in a new tab)
• National Sheepdog Trials — results (opens in a new tab)

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