The Jersey NZ Female Hall of Fame is an annual award handed out to only the best cows across the country. For a cow to be nominated for the award they must follow the below specifications:
- Any cow that has been registered with JerseyNZ is eligible for nomination (current or historic)
- JerseyNZ will appoint three Judges annually to consider nominations, these judges will be selected from a cross-section of JerseyNZ membership
- 5 finalists will be chosen and announced via e-mail, website and Facebook prior to Annual Conference
- Up to 2 cows will be inducted annually into the JerseyNZ Female Hall of Fame at the Annual Conference Awards Night. This presentation will highlight the inductees and their accomplishments
- Nomination reasons may include (but are not restricted to) high index; outstanding progeny; on farm results; show results; great cow family; any other accomplishment worthy of consideration.
- Any nomination will stay active for the next two years if the cow is not inducted into the Hall of Fame within that time
- Members do not need to be the owner of a cow to nominate her
Inducted into the Hall of Fame 2025:
Five finalists were named in April in the 2025 Jersey NZ Hall of Fame judged by members Cliff Shearer, Tony Luckin and Ross Riddell. One of these famed cows was inducted into the Jersey NZ Hall of Fame at the Annual Conference on 2 April 2025.
The finalists were:
- Tironui Integ Meg
- Cardrona Pepsi S2J
- Big Hollow Omens Beauty
- Kaitaka TGM Leonie
- Ferdon Comerica Viyella
Members nominated registered cows, alive or dead, for a variety of reasons including indexes; outstanding progeny; high production; On Farm results; show results; great cow families; and any other accomplishments worthy of consideration.
JerseyNZ is delighted to announce that the 2025 inductees into the JerseyNZ Hall of fame is:
Big Hollow Omen’s Beauty VHC, CP, SD, Elite Merit – nominated by Barry Montgomery
On the 19th of August, 1944, a heifer calf was born on the Big Hollow Stud farm at Matakohe in Northland. She was registered by her stud master, Mr Nederick Sterling, as Big Hollow Omen’s Beauty. Sired by his recently purchased stud sire in Abbeville Good Omen and out of Big Hollow Soumise Beauty, HC, CP, she would go on to leave a lifetime of production, conformation and breeding excellence that has no equal in New Zealand Jersey history.
With the noted show and breeding matron Almadale Brooklet VHC, CP, as her maternal grandmother, and the intensely Brampton Dreaming Sam bred sire, in Abbeville Good Omen (whose dam was Meon Mistletoe VHC, CP) on her paternal line, she was bred to achieve great deeds. Over the next fourteen years of her life, she achieved the following.
- Total production of 6363 lbs of fat at an average of 578 lbs of fat for eleven seasons, with two top records of 692lbs of fat (on a hilly farm of heavy clay soils, that was not conducive to high production).
- Won 15 Championships in the Show ring. Also with her full sister, Big Hollow Omen’s Bell VHC, CP, Elite Merit, won the coveted two daughters in -milk from the same dam, at the Jersey New Zealand 1952 Golden Jubilee Show.
In an age before artificial insemination and embryo transfer technology, she bred:
- Two Excellent Daughters – Big Hollow Beauteous, Elite Merit & Big Hollow Begonia, Elite Merit
- One VHC Daughter – Big Hollow Beautiful, who in turn is the dam of Big Hollow Choice Brownie Excellent,CP, SD,Elite Merit. Big Hollow Choice Brownie is the dam of Big Hollow Royal Basil successful sire in the Ngawhiwi Stud of KV & RB Price New Plymouth.
- She bred six sons, who carried her bloodlines to all parts of New Zealand and also Australia and the USA. Big Hollow Beauty’s Jester; Big Hollow Blue Peter; Big Hollow Royal Beacon in the Maple Stud of A H Sherrard, Ohinewai; Big Hollow Beauty’s Blond, Merit Sire Rata Glen Stud, E J Corlett New Plymouth; Big Hollow Royal Baxter; Big Hollow Regal Hermitage, Merit Sire. Used at Big Hollow and sold to the Annalea Stud of J Mitchell, Whakatane.
I will close this nomination for Hall of Fame Induction, with a quote from the Auctioneers foreword at the 1967 Big Hollow Dispersal Sale.
“No Big Hollow Dispersal Sale would be complete without special reference to Omen’s Beauty, the greatest of all cows bred in the stud. She was a Champion Show Cow, high and consistent producer, a cow of intelligent nature and quiet disposition. Great as an individual and even greater still as a breeding cow, her blood along with her full sister Big Hollow Omen’s Bell VHC ,CP Elite Merit is through most of the herd today and has gone out to help so many of the nation’s breeders over the past ten or more years.”
The Big Hollow Omen’s Beauty cow family is still present and sought after by breeders today.
Inducted into the Hall of Fame 2024:
Kevilor Sameen
Cardrona Fjord Bethany
Inducted into the Hall of Fame 2023:
Ferdon Follys Viyella
Glenui Integrity Lace ET
Hall of Fame 2022:
Okura Admirals Iris
Glanton Mans Blanche