Travelogue: judges Van Beek and Beekman Down Under [3].

The 20th International Welsh Show in Australia was held in Sydney on November 23 and 24, 2020. NWPCS judge Ad Beekman of the Lintelo Stud was asked to come and judge. So at the end of November 2019, he traveled to Down Under, together with Gerrit van Beek of Singels Welsh A breeding. After the show, the two Welsh enthusiasts rented a car to tour the area, visit several Welsh stud farms and taste wine. They took a look at the Victorian All Welsh Show and traveled on to New Zealand to judge and visit stud farms at the Great Lakes All Welsh Club show. With some delay, here is the final part (of 3 parts) of the trip report.

Part 3: ‘Gerrit van Beek has been on the ring all his life’

From Australia, Ad Beekman and Gerrit van Beek traveled to New Zealand in late 2019. There, both judged at the Great Lakes All Welsh Club show and visited several Welsh stud farms. “There were many sections at the show, as ponies were often entered for multiple sections. Even if two animals had the same sire, they were already entered together as a breeding group,” Beekman said.

Beekman and van Beek flew in three hours from Melbourne to Auckland where, moreover, it was two hours later. “Now we had exactly twelve hours time difference with the Netherlands,” says Beekman. And we walked comfortably in summer clothes.”

Beekman would go on to judge at the show in New Zealand and Gerrit van Beek was later asked to attend as a judge there. “The judging of the Great Lakes All Welsh Club there had kind of bled to death. Now there was an entirely new organizing committee ladies. They had put an appeal on the website of the international show in Australia to ask judges from there to come and judge at their show as well. I answered the call. Painfully they cobbled together a show and all got setbacks in the run-up; there were cancellations of judges and ribbons were delivered late ...”

‘He Knows Exactly How to Judge’

He continues: “At the end they were looking for judges again and so they asked me if Gerrit van Beek could judge. Now he is not a judge, but he can judge like the best. He has been in the ring all his life and knows exactly how to do it. He himself shows intensively in the Netherlands, so here it is difficult to combine it with judging for him. But judging in Australia went well for him. He really enjoyed doing it!”

Like a train

Although it had taken effort for the new committee to put together a show, the show ran like clockwork. “It went smoothly and everyone was satisfied. Something was said about all the contestants, including those placed last. We were able to choose beautiful champions and really award a lot of ribbons. Each category had an extra ribbon for the pony with the most beautiful head. So that didn't necessarily have to be the first placed in the class.”

There were also many classes. “For example, there were men's sections where a pony ran the same class three times and then was judged first on ’turnout,’ then it was judged which pony went the best, and then it was judged which one of the men was the most correct. And then it also happened that a second rider would compete again with the same pony.”

Gerrit van Beek: ‘Great experience’

When we ask Gerrit about his experience as a judge at the Great Lakes All Welsh Show he indicates it was a great experience for him. He saw beautiful ponies in the ring. Gerrit noticed that ponies competed for many classes during the show. So it could be that a pony passed by several times in the ring. The ponies were not only judged on conformation but also the pony with the most beautiful head. The same pony was also offered in the section where all ponies and handlers (children) were dressed up.

After the show, Ad and Gerrit were taken for some sightseeing by Kevin Townsend of Drayton Stud. Including Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. It is a flooded crater with clear water, rocky inlets and magical views.

Ad Beekman recalls the two-day visit to his old acquaintance Kevin Townsend. Townsend was president of the Welsh Studbook in New Zealand for many years. “I met him more than thirty years ago and agreed with him that we would visit if I was once in New Zealand. He had set aside two days for us. In daily life he is a bus driver for school children and we were allowed to ride with him once. That was a great experience. All cozy, spontaneous Maori kids who made the bus trip a party.”

Throne Stud

Gerrit van Beek continues, “After visiting Lake Taupo. We drove on to the Troon Stud, the birthplace of Troon Eclipse the Overall Champion Section A of the Great Lakes Show.” The gentlemen received a hospitable welcome there and saw beautiful Section A's and Cobs.

Gerrit van Beek: “We also visited several other studs, including Louise Dunn's Dunn Stud. At the Dunn stud, section A's are bred.”

icing on the cake

Gerrit van Beek: “Then we went on to Maureen and Kevin Fitzgerald's Brecon Bach Stud with, among others, the stallion Sharland Park Playboy. At this stud you really see the stamp of the years of Three B in New Zealand. This visit was really icing on the cake of everything we saw in our trip.”

After this stud farm visit, the Australia and New Zealand trip of Ad Beekman and Gerrit van Beek had come to an end and it was time for the return trip. The gentlemen flew via Auckland, Bali and Dubai back to Schiphol Airport where they were awaited by the home front.

Text part 3: Daniëlle Carrière and Denise Methorst

Also read:

Part 1: Judging at the 20th International Welsh Show Australia
Part 2: ‘You feast your eyes as a Welsh lover in Australia’