About Us

The Willyung Poll Sussex Stud

The Willyung Sussex Stud was established 1972 using the U.K bloodlines of Elbridge Keystone, the Poll bull Glenleigh Katawumpus, and the imported Poll bull from New Zealand Dalchaytom Poll Valetine 2nd, followed by Glottenham General Brede General and Quarles Monarch.

We are now breeding from over 80 pedigree cows. The calves are weighed at 200 and 300 days to select for early maturity.

In July 99 we visited South Africa and selected four bulls and six females to flush for export of embryos to Australia for W.A breeders. Twenty-five embryos were implanted into donor cows on 1/10/99, by leading South African Vet Dr Ronnie De la Rey and his wife.

The Poll Sussex cow has proven to be the most economical mother, and by crossing our three hundred commercial cows with Charolais and Simmental bulls (for hybrid vigour), we aim to sell these calves at nine to ten months of age straight from the cow. With steer calves weighing 180/200kg on the hook, a quality carcass.

We find the Poll Sussex cattle a pleasure to handle, with their quiet temperament and short dark red coat.

We have a steady inquiry for Poll Sussex bulls, and we sell 12 to 15 poll bulls per year. We have placed “Willyung Mervin” through quarantine, to enable semen to be exported worldwide. Subsequently he has progeny on the ground in the Eastern States, New Zealand and Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The Owners

Alister and his wife Doreen came to Australia in 1970, they have lived with their family at Willyung in the picturesque town of Albany on the South Coast of Western Australia ever since, successfully running their Poll Sussex Stud along with a large commercial beef herd.

Alister, stud master at Willyung has a natural eye for good cattle; he has judged at Agricultural Shows and Commercial cattle competitions both in Australia and the United Kingdom.

He has been selling bulls and semen for many years both for Stud and Commercial use. The Sussex has proven very popular for the mating of heifers with their small calves that arrive live on the ground.

Alister has worked hard to infuse polling throughout his herd; he has travelled the world in his endeavour to introduce new bloodlines, bringing in semen from the UK, Africa and New Zealand and with the help of Trevor Stotter, stud master of the Heimat herd in Ida, South Africa, embryos were successfully taken in 2004 and brought back to Willyung.

Two bulls, Willyung Bee Gee 27th and Willyung Brutus 22nd, stood at the AI Centre in 2006, for semen collection, but due to the import ban brought in by the EU, collection for these bulls is unavailable for UK, but passed for the rest of the world.

With their son Sandy who finished college back in 1993, the business has grown immensely. He now manages the contracting, avocados, commercial cattle and feedlotting at Willyung, where vealers from the commercial herd are finished as yearlings for the local beef trade. Depending on market demand, other vealers are bought in from local herds.

In 2005 another property was purchased at Kojaneerup, 3/4 of an hour travelling from Willyung, where grain and fodder are also now grown for both the home property and the feedlot. The 1400 acres has proved to be yet another challenge, but already this block is carrying more stock.

An avocado orchard was started in 2004, planting 1000 trees. This has been a huge learning curve, with hopefully our first picking this year.

Daughters, Jill, Sheena and Peggy and their partners Murray, Stewart, and Richard, along with friend Carrie, (who are all working in agriculture), are always on hand to help with both stock work and avocados.

Now semi retired, Alister has gone back to breeding chooks, Light Sussex of course! He is enjoying showing these birds at agricultural shows - there seems to be a big demand for chickens these days.