Their stud, Wirlinga Park White Dorpers, placed in eight categories at last weekend’s event, and they were selected to represent dorpers in the interbreed championship.

They also sold their first ram, an exciting milestone for the couple.

Studs from across the country converged on Bendigo to compete at last week’s event and yet, “basically we won,” Mrs Galinski said.

“It’s unusual for a stud to even be placed in their first show and it’s the biggest national sheep and wool show in the country. We were thrilled and proud of our debut.”

The couple don’t have a farming background — “I was a ballet teacher and my husband was an executive at Mars,” Mrs Glinski said.

But when they retired, and after purchasing a property at Wirlinga in 2000, they began to look into enterprises that would complement a cattle herd.

Mrs Glinski’s “eye” for form, however, has already paid dividends in selecting for sound traits.

“Between the ballet and the sheep, you’re looking at bodies with good balance and correct muscular conformation so there’s a little bit there,” she mused.

After much research, Mrs Glinski settled on white dorpers and the couple bought a parcel of ewes from Terraweena Dorper Stud near Toowoomba.

“We bought several daughters of a ram called Loftus that sold to Brazil for $45,000,” she said.

Then they bought the 2012 two-tooth winner at the Dubbo national sale and last year’s national champion, Ballimore, from Amarula Dorpers at Gravesend, near Moree.

“This was our retirement but it has turned into different vocation,” she said.

“We’re loving it and very thrilled with our success.”

Mrs Glinski said the shed was half full of dorpers, the biggest representation ever at Bendigo, testament to the popularity of the breed.

“They’ve become the breed to have,” she said.

“You get optimum carcass quality, they’re the most high yielding meat sheep, they have a high produ-ction rate and are extremely fertile animals.

“You can get three sets of twins in two years, with year-round fertility.”

Mrs Glinski has also been impressed with the dorper ewes’ mothering qualities.

“We actually had our prize-winning young ram lamb taken by a fox and the mother beat the fox off and saved the lamb two days in a row,” she said.

“They are very protective mothers.

“And they’re very trainable — I’ve had people tell me that they’re feisty but actually they learn very quickly where to go and what you want them to do, and most of mine come when called.”

The couple now have 400 commercial sheep and more than 100 stud ani-mals.