In just over a century, the trophy — perhaps forgotten — ended up in the waste bin of a rented farm house 3300 km away.
Now, the farmer who owns the West Australian property wants to find a home for the neglected silver trophy and he's hoping the people of northern Victoria can help solve the mystery of who the trophy belonged to and whether any descendants are alive today.
Brett Rose thinks the trophy, for "dairy cow yielding the largest quantity of butterfat", was awarded to a "J Darbyshire" from the Numurkah district.
Mr Rose and his family run a wheat and sheep farm at Dandaragan, about 90 minutes’ drive north of Perth.
Many years ago they had a rented farmhouse.
After the last tenants left, Mr Rose's mother cleaned the house and turned up the discarded trophy.
“We don't know whether it was the last tenants or previous tenants who left it there.”
Mr Rose decided he wanted to return the trophy to the descendants of the winner and so contacted McPherson Media Group to see if we could help solve the mystery.
Country News has contacted Numurkah Agricultural Society and their members are doing their best to try to uncover any local connection.
Mr Rose has done some of his own family history research and is keen to see the trophy at least find a place where it can be treasured.
He has turned up a "J Darbyshire" who died during World War I, but this man would have been only about 15 years old in 1909.
Country News has found a letter published in the Numurkah Leader in 1910 from a John Darbyshire who had entered his herd in the 1909 dairy competition.
The 30 cm-tall trophy is a little tarnished but in good condition.
“It just needs a bit of Silvo and it will come up very well,” Mr Rose told Country News.
Anyone with an idea about the provenance of the trophy can contact Geoff Adams at Country News on 5820 3229.
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