Women of Pittsworth to benefit from the pearl of Trevor’s life

Hereford breeder Trevor Saal has donated funds for a community facility to be established in Pittsworth, Queensland, and named in his late wife’s honour for the use of a local not-forprofit organisation.

Trevor, 94, fondly remembers his wife of 72 years, Pearl, as a terrific gardener, sewer, knitter, cook and cattle breeder.

He has donated a sewing machine to the Pittsworth Women’s Shed, a group which is renting premises and are looking forward to a permanent home with the financial assistance from Trevor.

He has approval from Toowoomba Regional Council to build the monument to Pearl, a shed in Pittsworth’s Pioneer Village and dedicated to the women of Pittsworth. The Pioneer Village contains the Men’s Shed, museum buildings and RSL memorabilia including a restored 1942 army jeep donated to the Pittsworth RSL by Trevor and Pearl.

Trevor and Pearl had a happy 76-year partnership together after meeting at a dance on New Year’s Eve 1945.

The couple lived initially at “Waco”, Brookstead, then purchased “Karinya” in 1957, allowing them to start their own mixed farming operation using Hereford bulls over dairy Shorthorn cows.

For many years these quality vealers won prizes at the Pittsworth show. The couple had a family of four boys and four girls, and as the children grew and left home, Pearl’s love of Hereford cattle helped fill in the gaps.

In 1972 Trevor bought her four registered Hereford heifers and the Kalem Poll Hereford Stud was founded.

The family moved to “Tarewinnabar”, Goondiwindi, in 1978 and Pearl went on to sell her first stud bull in 1982.

Trevor and Pearl moved to “Tarewinnabar”, Arcadia Valley, where the stud grew to 180 females and Trevor ran 400 commercial cows.

Showing cattle was a large part of the couple’s life and they were familiar faces at the Dubbo Hereford National Show and Sale, the Roma Poll Hereford Bull Sale and they travelled to Canada, America and New Zealand on Poll Hereford study trips.

Pearl and her daughter Kate attended the first Queensland Junior Poll Hereford Show in 1982 as spectators and then returned in 1983 to begin a long term as exhibitors.

“Dad would load up a single deck of heifers annually and head to the Toowoomba showgrounds for this event,” daughter Amanda Burcher said.

“Mum enjoyed the junior shows and encouraged not only her own family but others who didn’t own their own by donating cattle to get involved in the Hereford breed.”

Fellow Hereford breeders Ian and Anne Galloway featured Pearl in their 2018 book, Cattlemen in Pearls, a story of prominent women in the cattle industry.

Trevor and Pearl retired to Pittsworth with around 30 stud cows before Pearl passed away in January 2022. She is survived by eight children, 23 grandchildren and 37 great grandchildren.

Trevor, 94, continues to take an active interest in the Kalem stud herd owning 10 registered cows run at Binara Poll Herefords by daughter Amanda and her husband Ivan Burcher. In 2022, he celebrated 50 years of breeding stud Hereford cattle and is a life member of Herefords Australia Limited.