Another afternoon of ‘firsts’ – including the sale of the ‘$4m dog’ – made a spectacular grand finale for Casterton’s 28th Kelpie Muster and working dog auction weekend.


While it took 24 auctions to reach $3m in sales in 2021, on Sunday the register tipped over $4m in sales for the annual dog auction when the hammer fell on lot 11, Beloka Jock II, from Paul Macphail’s Beloka Kelpies.


Hailing from Welshpool in Gippsland, Mr Macphail has sold dogs and pups at every Casterton Working Dog Auction for the past 24 years – including 2023, when he sold the top-priced pup for double the previous record price; the top-priced dog, sold by Ash Caruana, was also from the Beloka bloodlines.


Sunday saw Beloka create another new chapter for the event.


In addition to selling the ‘$4m-dog’, Beloka Laila at lot 21 was the top-selling dog at $20,000 and at lot 44, Beloka Bootz’s price tag of $9000 saw her the highest-priced pup.


And not only did the kennel mates attract the highest prices, they were purchased by the same buyer, who also has some serious credentials in his own field.


Pakenham-based horse trainer and boxer Mitch Leek was crowned Australian Middleweight Boxing Champion last month and at the weekend pulled no punches to secure the top pup and dog at auction.


Familiar with the Beloka bloodlines, with several dogs already in his kennels and working on-property at Nar Nar Goon, Mr Leek attended the sale to bid and buy on behalf of his father, John – also a successful horse trainer and principal of the family’s Simmental stud.


“Dad has had pet dogs, not working dogs and he saw what mine were doing … he went out to Beloka and had a chat to Paul, we had a good look at (Laila),” he said.


“Paul got me into Kelpies, so it goes back a little while; he got me my very first dog, so it’s been a good relationship to go on with (and) this is my old man’s first proper working dog, so he’s starting out at the top ranks.”


While the intention had been to buy only one dog at the Casterton event, Mr Leek said he had also been impressed by the six-month-old Bootz and was delighted to secure the pup to build on the family’s working dog team.


“Laila’s obviously established and ready to work and I thought (Bootz) was an even better prospect, coming on, so (Laila) will do the job, do what we need for the time being and I think (Bootz) will come on to an even better dog,” Mr Leek said.


While no records were broken price-wise this year, the event did see a higher clearance than 2023, with 33 lots sold to a total income of $203,600, average $6169.


Sunday’s auction wrapped-up what is believed to be a record attendance weekend for the annual Casterton Kelpie Muster, with all accommodation and campgrounds overflowing and residential streets four and five blocks from the CBD developing into carparks to accommodate visitors to Saturday’s festival.


The muster kicked off on Thursday night with the official opening at the Rotary Club of Casterton’s Kelpie Art Show and 2024 Acquisitive Art Prize.


Hamilton Gallery Director Joshua White – proud owner of his own Kelpie, ‘Indianna Bones’ – was called on to judge this year’s event and it was Gayle Newcombe’s ‘Away to Me’ which caught his eye as the quintessential representation of Casterton’s famous working dog.


“This work captured the Kelpie in a moment … great representation of the Kelpie,” Mr White said.


Sandford artist Collin Tenney was also awarded for his self-portrait, cited as “a little Cezanne, Mattise and Van Gogh”, taking out the Gorman Real Estate Portraiture Prize.


Casterton artist Rita McInerney also celebrated a big weekend out, highly commended for her entries in the portraiture and Australiana sections in the Thursday night show and applauded once again on Friday night, when judge Brett Jarrett awarded her the Glad Laslett Patrons Award for her watercolour entry, ‘Autumn Leaves’, in the Clarice Beckett Art Show.


Presented in honour of Casterton-born artist Beckett, the annual Artists of the Valley and Gorman’s Gallery event awarded two specific odes to the artist this year.


Gallery member and Sandford artist Julie Kent was commended for her attention to the pallet of the artist, her ‘Sign of the Waves’ awarded the prize for Artist’s Rendition of Clarice Beckett’s Style, while the major Clarice Beckett Art Prize was presented to regular exhibitor Meagan Lonsdale for her piece, ‘Beck and Call’, interpreting a Kelpie at work, also keeping in the theme of the weekend.


Mother Nature turned on the weather for Saturday’s festival and when the Kelpie Parade kicked off at 10am, Henty Street was packed.


The much-anticipated Kelpie Triathlon was led, as always, by the Kelpie Dash and Georgie Price and Winx led the charge to take the first trophy of the day, followed by Kathleen Smith and Walker – all the way from Western Australia – in the high jump, reaching 2.67 metres and Annette Ditchburn and Chivas, fastest to the top of Blueberry in the Kelpie Hill Climb.


Casterton Kelpie Association President Karen Stephens said the national response to the annual event continued to surprise even the long-time members of the organisation.


“What can I say, our town – our volunteers, our traders and our sponsors – just up the ante every year and every year, the response from across Australia just seems to get bigger and better,” she said.


“From the art shows that introduce the weekend, to the huge festival day on Saturday and our auction on Sunday, we really do punch above our weight when it comes to this weekend.


“We had Emily and her Edge Guides registering visitors from all over this year, far North Queensland, WA, Tasmania … I cannot wait to see the final results from Emily.”


Mrs Stephens congratulated the art prize and event winners over the weekend and thanked the huge team of volunteers who were on the ground, from set-up to clean-up.


“I do not think there’s a single, active organisation in town who does not put their hand up to play some role in the weekend,” she said.


“An event of this magnitude is a big ask for such a small community and every task, from putting up the hundreds of metres of fencing for the auction, to signage, waste management, feeding the masses … every single job is so important to the smooth running of the weekend and Casterton can be proud of itself for everything it does in support of this event.”