When Grant and Fiona Sutherland bought the Chatto Creek Tavern in November 2020, there were many traditions they wished to keep alive.

One of those was the Chatto Creek Hunt, and former proprietor Lesley Middlemass was on hand yesterday (Sunday July 17) as that tradition was followed, seated front and centre as the day’s take was brought in and weighed.

“I did it for 20 years,” Lesley said of the hunting competition. “It’s lovely to see it continue.”

Grant ran the barbecue grill as Fiona oversaw the bar service, in between running an obstacle course race for the younger hunters, who had accounted for a pile of rabbits and magpies that would warm any Southern farmer's heart.

Rico Naylor practices running the obstacle course before the race begins.

“It’s country kids doing country things,” Grant said.

“There were a lot of traditions like this that they used to run. We wanted to keep alive the traditions they had around here.”

The junior hunters vied for the heaviest possum, heaviest duck, average weight hare, average weight nanny goat, longest nose to tail wallaby, most rabbits, and most magpies.

The young hunters accounted for a lot of rabbits, possums and magpies.

Senior hunters competed for heaviest boar, average weight fallow deer, average weight red deer, and average weight boar. The large animals were gutted before weighing, to protect the meat which was auctioned off later in the afternoon. 

Grant said the most popular in the auction were the fallow deer and a couple of big boars, the largest of which weighed in at 68.5 kilograms, although one hunter joked that they preferred weights in pounds as it sounded more impressive.

“Most prices were from $20-$30, and the most expensive was a large red deer that sold for $80,” he said.

“Five wallabies were shot, which would make the council very happy.”

Most of the animals hunted were pest species, such as rabbits and possums, or were hunted for their meat, such as the deer and wild pigs, Grant said.

“Just around the pub, on the hillside up back of the pub, it has been decimated by rabbits.”

It had been a great day, he said, and was very much a family event with the children involved as well.

Grant said he and Fiona were happy to have former publican Lesley present.

“She sat out in pride of place watching the weigh-in,” Grant said. “She had a great day.”