Aldridge State High School in Maryborough isn’t just focused on academic and cultural excellence, it’s also home to a thriving Square Meaters stud, giving students hands-on agricultural experience.
The school’s dedicated agriculture department, established in 1992, supports a range of practical learning facilities — including a beef production herd — as part of its vocational curriculum.
This program enables students to breed, groom and show cattle under guided, real-world conditions.
Square Meaters — a breed celebrated for its manageable temperament and suitability for schooling environments — are showcased by Aldridge State High in local and regional shows.
Most recently, at the Kilcoy Show in July, the school’s cattle team achieved impressive results with six of its show cows, three steers, two heifers and a bull.
Their heifer “Violet” claimed Champion Junior Square Meaters Female, while the steer “Valentino” placed third in his class and their bull Ulysses came second in his class.
Student Logan placed third in the Junior Prime Judging against a tough field while the Aldridge State High School team won the Junior Herdsman’s award, which is judged on presentation, teamwork and independence throughout the show.
This success follows earlier highlights when the school’s Square Meaters stud earned top honours at agricultural showcases, including multiple stud cow awards at the Sunshine Coast Show, Toowoomba Show, Beef Australia 2024 and Ekka 2025.
These achievements reflect both strong student engagement and careful breeding of the Square Meaters.
Mr Yates said the support the school had received from the Square Meaters Association of Queensland, alongside all studs, had been “very pleasing“.
“We know we have a whole team behind us,“ he said. “They have helped develop the students in all aspects of breeding.
“For example, the society organised a clipping day and, prior to that, a showing day, which was sponsored by the Rotary group in Redlands. Travis and Julie Issepi organised a handler and junior judging day and Brian Surawski, formerly of Highchester Meats, did a session on selecting Burcher steers and breeds of cattle for prime beef.“
Also, Lachlan Howland of Golden Pastoral lent Aldridge State High School a bull, allowing them to infuse excellent Victorian genetics through its herd.
“The Aldridge Farm manager, Mr Hillier has worked closely with breeders and other schools in creating a rotation system with our bulls, which will allow us new genetics at a very low cost as we do not have to purchase new bulls each year,“ Mr Yates said.
“The sire rotation, supported by our team and the society’s breeders, has allowed us to venture into new genetics.“
Participation in the Square Meaters program brings more than accolades — it fosters responsibility, confidence and industry knowledge.
Students learn everything from animal husbandry and nutrition to exhibition standards, developing skills that prepare them for careers or further studies in agriculture.
Indeed, the Square Meaters stud at Aldridge State High School is more than a school project, it’s a celebrated educational initiative that cultivates excellence, builds confidence and prepares students for agricultural futures.
