Middle Dural Public School Students are celebrating a significant achievement after their beloved rooster, Avocado, clinched first place at the Hawkesbury Show.
Avocado has become a source of pride for the school’s small community, now showcasing a blue ribbon in the Chicken Mansion. The six-month-old rooster was hatched from an egg laid by a silky hen, making him an integral part of the Middle Dural family, according to Principal Melissa Date.
Nestled in the serene countryside of north-western Sydney, Middle Dural Public School serves just 30 students and is surrounded by picturesque horse paddocks and orchards. Preparing for the competition was a team effort; Galston High School generously loaned their agriculture teacher, Eric Date, to assist the students in grooming Avocado for his first show appearance.
The efforts and dedication of the students paid off when Avocado won first place in the ‘Primary School Chook – soft feather – male’ category at the Hawkesbury Show, renowned as the largest regional agricultural fair in New South Wales, which has been celebrated since its inception in 1845 at Clarendon.
“Our students were thrilled with Avocado’s success,” Ms Date said.
“There was an enthusiastic cheer at our morning assembly and lots of positive feedback from parents via social media.”
Ms Date said Middle Dural Public School’s three silky hens and silky rooster Avocado free ranged on school grounds during the day.
“We have a leadership team who take responsibility for the care of our chickens,” she said.
“This involves cleaning out their pen, providing fresh food and water each day, collecting eggs and letting them out to free-range each morning and locking them up again each afternoon.
“We believe our chickens are particularly healthy and beautiful because they free-range in our beautiful grounds.”
The eggs are used by the school canteen for home-made treats. Boiled eggs are also available at the school’s breakfast club.
This year Avocado and the silky hens moved into a new and larger ‘Chicken Mansion’.
“We suspect that these salubrious digs have also contributed to the good health and beauty of our prize-winning rooster,” Ms Date said.
