ABOUT US

BALLYANN

Ballyann Border Collies began in 1980 in the obedience ring with Minimbah Panda CD. After showing a friend's Weimaraner - the "show bug" had bitten and I went on to purchase Minimbah Queen Ohearts (Class In Group winner) and bred from her. Throughout the 80's I paid my dues in the show ring, having success with her son Ch Ballyann Tumbling Dice (Multi Class In Group & In Show winner), Ch Crestvale Blue Harmony (the first blue & white Champion Border Collie in the world and Reserve Challenge bitch Sydney Royal 1986), Ch Kennoway Santefe (All Breeds Best In Show winner & Reserve Challenge bitch Melbourne Royal 1987 at 8 months of age), Ch Kennoway Bill Bailey (RUPBIS All Breeds & Multi BIG winner while on lease from Kennoway Kennels), A/NZ Ch Tullaview Trail Blazer (Multi BIG winner while on lease from Tullaview Kennels), and Ballyann Heartbreak Kid & his litter sister Ballyann Priden Passion (Class In Group winners).

In the early 90's I took over showing Claude & Robyn Mc Manus & Peter Buckley's A/NZ Ch Dajarra Laser Lad (imp NZ) who enjoyed an extremely successful show career in Australia, and A/NZ Ch Bonny Earl of Carlanrig (imp NZ). I also showed my home bred bitch Ch Ballyann Buckleys Chance (RUPBIG winner) and her dam Ch Kennoway Santefe during this time.

In 1994 Peter Buckley (Bobanette Border Collies) and I were married and our daughter Kathleen was born in 1995. We showed sparingly for the next few years until the arrival of Ch Kennoway Lochln Mclochln (BISS, BIG, RUPBIG winner) in 1999. He was followed by Ch Kanawalla Australya Fair (BISS & BIG winner) in 2002 & Ch Kennoway Colour Me Tartn (RUPBIG & Border Collie National 2006 Reserve Challenge winner) and Kennoway Brush Strokes (Multi Class In Group & Class in Show winner) in 2005 . Our co-owned Konavan Ma Belle Amie (Class In Group & Class In Show winner) had a pleasing start to her show career and whelped her first litter in 2009. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniels owned by our good friend Robyn Attard will be handled in the show ring in by Kathleen. Our Border Collie litter born in March 2007 are doing well in the show ring, with Ballyann Bebackbymidnite (BIG & multi Class In Group & In Show winner) being shown by us in NSW and Ch Ballyann Tartn Atmidnite (BIG & multi Class In Group & In Show winner) shown by Moystonhill & Kennoway Kennels in Victoria. We are privileged to co-own a daughter of A/NZ Ch Kennoway Baileys Bandit, Kennoway Tartan Faithful (AI) who is also a Multi class In Group winner. Our new babies Ballyann Up Up And Away and Ballyann Past Your Bedtime (by our young dog Ballyann Bebackbymidnite) will be exhibited in 2010, with Ballyann Past Your Bedtime already a Baby In Group winner.

I have also handled many other dogs successfully for other people, including Border Collies - Ch Minimbah Dashn Beauty, Minimbah Mac Callie, Padtheway Whispering Jak, A/NZ Ch Dajarra Laser Lad (imp NZ); German Shepherd Dog - Ch Rannach Mackay; Australian Cattle Dog - Ambajaye Family Affair; Belgian Shepherd (Terveuren) - Ch Barakuma Anique; Belgian Shepherd (Groenendael) - Ch Shepbrae Follow Me; Australian Kelpie - Ch Wingdari Drovers Song; Miniature Schnauzer - Wahnfried Tristan; Weimaraners - Ch Trilby Gaiety Girl & Ch Griswold Fielda; and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels - Konavan Tapestry, Konavan Annarose, Konavan Serenade, Cavndale Kinder Surprise & Cavndale Future Surprise .

Our daughter Kathleen has been competing in Junior Handler classes with several wins now under her belt, including winning the 10-under 13 years Class at the 2008 Sydney Royal Easter Show. She is exhibiting the Cavaliers and both our own and other exhibitor's Border Collies in the breed ring.

I am currently a Trainee Group 5 judge participating in the Judges Training Scheme in 2010.

BOBANETTE

From the late 70's Peter was part of Bobanette Border Collies who were established in 1972 by Robyn & Claude McManus. They were successful at that time through the likes of Ch Gotrah Celtic Drift CD (Challenge Dog Sydney Royal 1979), Ch Bobanette Celtic Quest (Challenge Bitch Brisbane Royal 1982), Ch Bobanette Centurion (Reserve Challenge Dog Brisbane Royal 1982) , Ch Bobanette Celica CD (Best of Breed and Best Opposite Sex in Group 5 Sydney Royal 1983 - the first time ever that a Border had a group placing at Sydney Royal), Ch Gotrah Charger (All Breeds Best in Show winner - the first at 10 months and the last at rising 10 years - he won his last BIG at 11 years), and Ch Bobanette Subary (All Breeds Best in Show winner). As the eighties continued they had success through Ch Bobanette Trademark  (All Breeds Best in Show winner), A/NZ Ch Bonny Earl of Carlanrig (RUPBIS All Breeds, RUPBIS BCC of NSW 1989) and into the 90's with A/NZ Ch Dajarra Laser Lad (imp NZ) (BIS BCC of NSW 1990, RUPBIS All Breeds winner).

It was in late 1982 when they began thinking about importing frozen semen from the UK, as the gene pool in Australia was becoming restrictive. Peter had been a member of the Border Collie club of Great Britain since 1978 and had been receiving their year books so he wrote off to several high profile kennels that looked promising. Interestingly he received only one response - from Mary Miller at Firelynx and he began to correspond resulting in her agreement in 1983 to allow them to import a consignment of semen from her Eng Sh Ch Asoka Navajho of Firelynx who was known as "Buck". At that time it was a costly exercise but they thought it worthwhile for the future.

At that time artificial insemination of bitches using frozen imported semen was fairly "frontier" stuff with the first uses of the surgical implant technique. Their efforts over the following two years to put a bitch in whelp with the semen were costly but sadly unsuccessful. We still hold 6 straws in storage from this original consignment.

After further correspondence with Mary and talking with her on the phone it was arranged to import Firelynx Navahjo Storm - a son of  "Buck" - he was 20 months old at the time - untitled in the English show ring (only shown a few times) but had winning progeny there. He arrived on 30 April 1985 and went straight into Sydney quarantine at Eastern Creek - he was released on 29 June 1985. He began his show career a few months later and titled in June 1986. One of those first shows in 1985 was Brisbane Royal - it was interesting that while on the benches he was not paid the slightest attention by the "locals" although a couple were seen checking him out from quite some distance away. Bobanette also exported the first purebred Border Collie bitch to Uruguay back in 1988.

Incidentally Peter also supplied some of the photos in the late Peidje Vidler's legendary book "The Border Collie in Australasia", including the cover shot of Peidje's Send A Way Midnight CDX (imp NZ). Peter also wrote many articles in the Border Collie Club of Great Britain yearbooks throughout the 80's and early 90's.