Driza-Bone x Bush Journal - Nov 2023

Jack Leonard

Jack Leonard’s whistle bellows down the phone line, but he says it’s not strong enough to rely on when commanding his team of 11 working dogs. “I’m not a very good whistler, so it’s all voice for me,” he says with a laugh.

A stockman by trade, Jack is also a trainer of Australian Kelpies and renowned for producing a high standard of muster dogs. His love of them stems from a childhood filled with plenty of animals. “I just like how they’re versatile,” he says, “they’ll come into the yards, they don’t mind… working in the heat, and they’ll still work nice out in the paddock — they’re multi-purpose.” 

Based in Warrock, Victoria, Jack lives 35 kilometres from Casterton, recognised as the birthplace of the Kelpie. His dogs regularly fetch record prices at auctions around the country. “I sold one for $26,000 last year,” Jack says proudly, “she was a very good dog — Sally.”

Dedication to this truly Australian breed runs in the family. Twenty minutes further north, Jack’s younger sister Sophie McClure runs a sheep station with her family and a team of six Kelpies she trained herself. “I love their diversity, their willingness to please,” Sophie says, “the instincts are amazing in them.” As a busy mum of three humans, Sophie is easing back into the training side-hustle she started building before having children, and she’s already passing on her skills. “My daughter’s nine and she’s got an 11 month old bitch… she had a go at a dog trial in Casterton. She went alright!”

Brother and sister both say they couldn’t run livestock without their trusty canines. “They’re essential, absolutely,” Sophie says. “I don’t think I’d be in the industry if I didn’t have them.” And they find the hard work of training hugely rewarding. “You see they want to please you, they love you, they want to work hard,” Jack says, and Sophie agrees: “What you put into them you definitely get back.”