THE LINE ON THE MAP To understand the Damara breed, you must understand what these sheep endured long before they ever reached Australia. The story begins on a single farm in Namibia [...]
Continue ReadingWELL… THIS IS A LITTLE EMBARRASSING. Australia has been breeding Damara sheep for nearly 30 years. We’ve imported them. Bred them. Shown them. Sold them. Written about them. Argued abo [...]
Continue ReadingTHE ROUSEABOUT, THE MOAT AND THE GAZELLES © THE GRASSFARMERSIn April 1999, a Dick Smith truck rolled through the gates of a grazing property at Rosevale Qld, south-west of Ipswich, and del [...]
Continue ReadingOUT OF JOHANNESBURG: HOW THE DAMARA ACTUALLY GOT HERE © There are two men who could tell you, in their own words, the absolute truth of how Damara sheep first arrived in Australia. Until t [...]
Continue ReadingTHE HISTORY YOU HAVEN’T WRITTEN YET © A few days ago, a fellow Damara breeder asked a question. “What would your wishlist be for current breeders, small and large alike, to [...]
Continue ReadingTHE SHEEP THAT BROKE THE BANK © Before we go much further it is important to know what was taking place in Australia with the collapse of the wool market and how that may have influenced t [...]
Continue ReadingARE THEY GOATS? © It’s the ultimate Damara owners’ rite of passage. Throw some hair and a solid set of horns on a sheep, and the public’s collective brain completely short-ci [...]
Continue ReadingTHE MEMORIES IN THE SHED One of the things that has surprised me most while researching the history of the Damara breed in Australia is how much of that history was never formally recor [...]
Continue ReadingSOKKIES © Look closely. In the first image, a ewe stands in a drought-stricken landscape with virtually no grass and very little browse. Her body tells the story of a hard season. But lo [...]
Continue ReadingThe Kaokoveld — a place of endless ruggedness. A desolate landscape that does not forgive weakness. Rocky mountains. Dry riverbeds. Open plains. Desertscapes. Vast distances that speak of [...]
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