HISTORY

Koojan Hills Angus Stud was founded in 1963 by Peter and Anne Smit and their son Lew at the family’s farm near Serpentine, south of Perth, Western Australia. The initial females in the herd were purchased from the Gillimanning dispersal sale and were accompanied by a bull from Leyfields in Wickepin, Western Australia. This large framed bull, Layfields Edgar, was a sire ahead of his time and was the foundation of the highly renowned Edwina female line.

The next acquisition of note was that of Banner of 54 of Matauri, purchased in 1974 from New Zealand breeder Bruce Maxwell. This sire gave the herd a great lift and brought the stud into prominence.

In 1974 the Smits and Koojan Hills Angus moved to Kojonup, Western Australia and in 1978 began selling cattle at the inaugural Combined Stud Breeders Interbreed Sale at Knutsford Complex in Kojonup. Koojan Hills sold seven Angus bulls at that sale.

Angus bull sales continued to be an annual event for Koojan Hills at Knutsford until 2012 when 41 bulls were sold on-property in Kojonup. In recent years, the Koojan Hills auction average at its annual sale has always been at or near the top of Australian averages for the breed and in 2016 it achieved its record sale average of $10,788.

It has always been the breeding philosophy at Koojan Hills that successful cattle breeding requires a primary emphasis on breeding structurally sound cattle of the required type and temperament. In an effort to compliment these objectives with a scientific approach, Koojan Hills has embraced performance recording through the use of Breedplan technology since 1986. Furthermore, major genetic influences on the herd has occurred through the introduction of North American blood. Bulls such as Scotch Cap, VPI Lord Patriot, 036, Future Direction and Te Mania Unlimited were used very successfully in the early 2000’s and since then Koojan Hills has continued to source new international sires to be included in our AI programs. This process of balanced breeding, a combination of a scientific and traditional focus, as well as targeting specific genetics from all over the world has help shape the stud into what it is today.

In 2015 Lew decided that it was time to retire from stud cattle breeding. As a result, the stud name and the cattle of the Koojan Hills herd were sold to Richard and Christine Metcalfe of Manypeaks late that year; their sons Tim and Chris will be instrumental in the successful continuation of the Koojan Hills Angus Stud.