Page 12 - Shorthorn Magazine

12
Shorthorn
Obituaries
GEORGE WOOLFORD
When George Woolford died on the 15th March 2023, the breed lost one of its most loyal supporters as he had spent his entire working life devoted to the Dairy Shorthorn and his family had been members of the Society for 75 years.
A man of transparent honesty, he lived a modest life and acted with integrity in all things.
At the time of his birth George’s family farm, Hook Farm,
near Wootton Bassett, had a commercial shorthorn dairy
herd and his mother ran a large chicken hatchery business. In 1948 when George was seven years old his father, Mr R. G. H. Woolford joined the Shorthorn Society to begin Grading Up
and purchased some pedigree cows to form the Hook Herd. Those purchases at the Society’s Reading Shows and Sales introduced several female lines prominent in the herd to the end. Through the early years stock bulls were selected from the famous Iford Herd.
The Ruby Waterloo family was established when he attended with his father a production sale of the Theale Herd at Home Farm, Bradfield, Berks, on the 16th October 1957. At that time Theale was nationally famous and the Ruby Waterloos carried Iford bloodlines which no doubt would have added to the attraction of the four week old heifer calf they bought. Theale Ruby Waterloo 22nd (62694) joined the Hook Herd very much by chance as they had only attended the sale because of a long run of bull calves being born during 1957. This female line became the most numerous in the herd and many
cows and calves would later be sold to other herds across the UK.
His fathers ill health meant
that George had to take over management of the dairy herd from 1960 and his fathers death several years later led to a big change. Sharing the management of the farm with his brother, who wanted to discard the shorthorns and replace them with black
and white cows, created a need to divide the business. George purchased Woodshaw Farm near Wootton Bassett and moved
the entire Hook Herd there in 1970. The farm consisted of land and buildings but he lived some distance away involving a daily commute. When his land was taken by a compulsory purchase order he made his final move,
in October 1977, to the 66-acre Spurham Farm near Okehampton, Devon. With an ideal set of ‘model buildings’ it proved to be a good home for the herd. Close to Dartmoor with a heavy clay soil and high rainfall the herd were prone to mineral deficiencies, but visitors always remarked on the excellent growth and condition of both the milkers and youngstock. Those remarks were a testament to the great care and pride that he took in his stock.
George had to overcome major surgery in his youth to correct the growth of bones in his chest and would again face major surgeries following a catastrophic
farming accident on the 17th
July 2009. Airlifted to hospital and later transferred to another hospital to access the specialist expertise needed, there followed a long period of recuperative care. Defying expectations he returned to an active farming
life, determined to continue his beloved Hook Herd which by that time was run as a suckler herd. Although his sight, hearing and stamina had all been affected
he was still caring for two of his cows at the time of his final illness aged 81. He had a keen interest
in woodland management, was
a supporter of the Woodland Trust and planted many native hardwood trees on his own farm. His only son, Daniel, sadly pre- deceased him on the 8th August 2021.
George lies now in the graveyard of Boasley Cross Chapel, divided only by a quiet country lane from the fields of Spurham Farm. He made provision in his will for
the Shorthorn Society to receive some money which could be used to further the interests of the breed he loved so well.
George Edward Woolford, 10th August 1941 to 15th March
2023, remembered with grateful appreciation by his many friends.
William Morris