Day Ten of the Epic Archibull Judging Tour of 2013 and the last day! One last school to see before we can sleep for quite a while! We are back in country New South Wales and it is dry and HOT!
School Thirty Seven was Gunnedah High School
On a last rip to Gunnedah we met the dynamo that is Kate Mathieson who is very very committed to providing great agriculture experiences for her students and with the support of Cotton Australia was able to bring the Archibull back to Gunnedah High School
This year the students have named their Archibull “Kapas”! (Name derived from name of the unginned cotton or the white fibrous substance covering the seed that is obtained from the cotton plant.)
On one side of Kapas we see cotton before the harvest. In a clever collage made from cotton and about cotton, we see a pictorial timeline of the cotton plant’s growth. Underlying these images is the water, which is so essential to the industry. We also see the environmental factors which affect cotton growth, as well as what can be made from 1 bale of cotton.
On the other side, we see cotton after the harvest. We see its export to the world, its production, and the variety of ways that even the by-products of cotton can be used so that nothing is wasted.
On her neck and chest are multicoloured handprints of students from the school from years 6 to 12, parents and members of the community. These are present to show the importance of community to the cotton farming industry. On her rump and underneath is a collaged patchwork of unusual cotton fabrics which also represents the community which they live in. It is a patchwork of towns and paddocks. This is further reinforced by the logos of local cotton companies and producers on her udder, as well as the schools emblem and that of Cotton Australia.
A very big thankyou to all schools!
Thankyou for your beautiful work, for your enthusiasm, and for all the work you have put in. It is appreciated and truly wonderful. We hope you have enjoyed the programme and learnt something.
You can see all the finalists here