School cashes in on fun rural competitions

Fat lambs and lucky cows have been smash hit fundraisers once again at Pirinoa School.

The second annual fat lamb competition run on Friday had become a major date on the social calendar for the rural district, said Pirinoa School board of trustees chairwoman Sonya Hume.

She said 42 lambs were donated by farmers, and Ovation New Zealand were to top-up meat prices paid for the donated stock.

Major sponsors had included Ovation, Keinzley-Agvet, Baker & Associates and Colton Brothers among a cadre of about 20 sponsors, and prize values had topped more than $6000.

She said the cow pie bingo, where winners are decided by cows dropping their dung on numbered squares laid in a paddock, raised $600 in two minutes and an auction of donated prizes also had been very successful.

The winners in the fat lamb contest were Ed Handyside, David Hume and Roddy Sutherland, who respectively placed first, second and third; and the respective placegetters in the cow pie bingo were Shell St Clair, Ferg Rutherford and Mitch McKenzie. The major prize for the fattest lamb was a trophy and a $1000 clothing voucher from Keinzley-Agvet and the first prize winner in cow pie bingo walked away with a $200 Icebreaker voucher.

Mrs Hume said the event last year raised $6300 and a similar total was expected this year once the final meat price tallies came in from Ovation on Wednesday.

Pirinoa School is decile 6 with a roll of 29 pupils, Mrs Hume said, and is "a thriving little rural school with a fantastic principal in Lorraine Southey".

More than 120 people attended Friday's fundraiser and Mrs Hume is hoping for an even bigger turnout next year. "We had a successful day. The weather was hot and the condition of lambs entered this year was of a higher standard than last year."