The stockman behind 'Campaspe Working Dogs'
Tully Williams has been training dogs since he was twelve years old,
and competing in sheep dog trials since he was fifteen. He has owned and trained
many hundreds of dogs
(not counting litters of pups),
from various breeders and bloodlines,
mostly border collies but including many kelpies.
He studied for the Advanced Diploma of Applied Science (Farm Management)
at Glenormiston Agricultural College,
and has spent most of his working life
on large station properties handling sheep and cattle.
His main interests are dogs, horses, stock, and farming,
and his great passion is working stock off a horse in rough hill country,
with a good dog or two. The rougher and more broken the country,
the bigger the paddocks,
the more timber and rocks,
the more hills and gullys and creeks,
the wilder the stock,
and the better the dogs,
the more he likes it.
Tully served 7 years on the council of the Victorian Working Sheep Dog Association (VWSDA),
being the youngest member ever to be elected to the council,
before retiring in disgust
at the direction sheep dog trials have taken,
and was on the Open Judging Panel.
However in the last few years Tully has largely lost interest in sheep dog trials.
He considers sheep dog trials as they currently stand to be detrimental to the breeding of good dogs.
Unfortunately, a back injury sustained in a fall from a horse while mustering in steep, rocky country
has put an end to his farming career, but he retains a strong interest in breeding the
"real genius back into the all-round working dog".
He is the author of a comprehensive and ground-breaking book on sheep dogs -
'Working Sheep Dogs - A practical guide to breeding, training and handling',
published by Landlinks Publishing (CSIRO).
He has also published a book titled "Ultimate Farming - For maximum productivity and profit naturally",
and runs a farm consultancy business "Rational Farming Australia".
