For that was what was awarded to the winner of a New Zealand championships, although Mr Ward (66) quipped he was running out of years.
Plus he said, laughing, he had "no neck" to show off the tie.
Alas, it was not to be this year as Mr Ward failed to qualify for the championships but he was still playing an integral role in the running of the event at his home club, Warepa.
He was "just busy enough" keeping sheep up to the zig zag hunt course while also hoping there might be the odd time that he could duck into the bar to catch up with old mates.
Mr Ward is tied to dog work through his work at farm training establishment Telford and encouraging and helping young people with their dogs.
"He has done so much for youth," Otago centre president Richard Hore said.
While he was always keen on dogs, Mr Ward’s father told him he needed a trade behind him after he left school and then he could do whatever he liked. After qualifying as a butcher, he went farming.
He spent 10 years managing the farm at Telford and did dog training there for more than 20 years. He recently returned to Telford where he was helping on the sheep farm and dairy support, and he had a 31ha property nearby.
At least two of Mr Ward’s proteges are competing at this week’s championships — George Sheild, from the Tolaga Bay club, who qualified four dogs, and Angus Spence, from the Mangamahu club, who qualified one dog.
Another highlight was former Telford pupil, Alex Matthews, winning two national titles with two different dogs at Blenheim in 2018.
Mr Ward, who has been in two island run-offs, said he liked to see the development of the young people’s dogs. The favour was now sometimes returned when people he had given pups to gave him pups back.
He had four dogs helping shift the sheep at the trials, including 12-month-old Brown, named after his friend Derek Brown from whom he got him. He preferred huntaways to heading dogs — "I like a bit more go" — but, as he quipped, at his age, heading dogs would probably be more appropriate.
At Warepa’s club trials, Mr Ward was made a life member, an acknowledgement which came as both a shock and an honour. It was "brilliant" for the club to host the championships and he believed it had the best facilities in New Zealand.
