THE FIVE STAGES OF OWNING DAMARA SHEEP….IN AUSTRALIA.
Nobody warns you about this. It all starts with one innocent question…
“What are Damara sheep?”
You think you’re just looking.
Yeah… sure.
STAGE 1 — CURIOSITY
“That’s an interesting-looking sheep.”
You Google Damara sheep.
Just once.
BIG mistake.
By midnight you’ve convinced yourself they’re the perfect sheep.
Two hours later you’re watching Damara videos from Namibia and South Africa…
…and explaining Damara genetics to a spouse who did not ask,
does not care, and is now questioning several life choices.
STAGE 2 — THE FIRST PURCHASE
“We’ll just get two or three.”
You tell your partner they’re “low maintenance”.
You explain “they’ll keep the grass down”.
You use the phrase “easy-care” approximately eleven times in one conversation, like it’s a hostage negotiation.
Everyone is happy. For now.
STAGE 3 — THINGS ESCALATE
You now own twelve.
You know what a good tail looks like.
And you’re happy to explain why.
Your phone contains 897 photos of sheep standing in almost exactly the same position, in almost exactly the same paddock, and you have named a folder for it.
Everyone else is fairly sure you’re just showing them the same sheep photo over and over to see if they’ll notice.
You can identify every single one on sight.
STAGE 4 — THE BREEDING PROGRAM
You own a spreadsheet. You actually enjoy updating it.
There are colours on it. There are formulas on it.
There are backup copies of the backup copies, because losing this spreadsheet would apparently be worse than losing the sheep.
You start saying things like:
“I can’t put her to him — her grandfather’s mother’s half-brother was practically his half-uncle twice removed.”
Normal people slowly stop inviting you to dinner.
STAGE 5 — ACCEPTANCE
You need another paddock.
Possibly another ram.
Definitely more ewes. There is no version of this where you have “enough” ewes.
You stop looking at sheep.
You start looking at pedigrees.
You’ve reached the point where a new ram is more exciting than a new ute (bakkie)…and deep down you know you made the right decision.
You no longer say “Dah-ma-rah”.
You say “Dummerrah”.
Without even thinking about it.
And somehow…
This all feels completely normal.
Be honest — what stage are YOU at?
From Veld to Down Under — documenting the history of the Damara sheep… and the slow, happy financial collapse of otherwise sensible adults.
© Written by Keith Layman, Hamilton Ridge Damara Stud, NSW Australia
Photograph © courtesy of Brae Park Damara, NSW Australia
