The Palmerston Collie Club is celebrating its centennial event yesterday and today, although it was a year late as Covid-19 disrupted last year.
The first trial was held on the Philip family’s farm at Puketapu in 1920 and it continued to be held at the same venue, overlooked by Sir John McKenzie’s prominent memorial.
The club had a small but strong committee with the key positions of president and secretary-treasurer held respectively by husband and wife Chris and Kate Pont, from Waikouaiti, who also supplied half the sheep for the event.
The couple agreed the milestone was a massive achievement. A celebration would be held tonight and people were also encouraged to dress in period costume for the trials.
Mrs Pont said they were promoting the trials as a family event and community event.
Conscious the sport was something they took for granted, they were aware that people "don’t get to see this every day".
If visitors called in to the trial ground, alongside State Highway 1, they could "take them for a spin" so they could "see what we’re doing and it’s pretty clever", she said.
Club stalwart Steve Vickers, who now divides his time between farms in East Otago and South Otago, has been attending the trials for about 38 years.
It was "wonderful" to see the milestone reached and he was keen to continue to help keep it going.
"I don’t want to let my community down," he said.
Mr Vickers (77) had been in the area for a couple of years when he was first asked to lend a hand. Back then, the trials were held in June and it was "always cold" so about 50 bales of hay were carted up the hill to sit in.
He was not running a dog this week — "I’m up to it, but my dog’s not" he quipped — but he was happy helping out, along with his wife, Margaret.
It was a busy week of dog trialling in the area with the Waihemo club’s trials at Dunback tomorrow and Monday, followed by Kyeburn on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Triallists were chasing points to qualify for the South Island and New Zealand championships being held near Gore in May.
