The Grenpark Sale

The Grenpark Dispersal Sale was held on the 22nd of November 1987 at 2.00pm at "Gernville Park" Palenham South, Victoria Australia. An auction of this kind had never been seen before or since in Smooth Fox Terriers, interest in the Smooths auctioned that day was world wide. Here are some accounts from that day from breeders who attended the historic auction.


Wendy Ellwood "Sealgair"
22nd November, 1987 was a day of mixed feelings for me......

The day began well with good weather and quite a large crowd of people who came from far and wide to watch and to buy. The lawns were mown and the seating was made up of tiers of bales of hay. Almost a carnival atmosphere - you could sense the excitement. This was quite a new event - the prospect of a dog auction.
Cam was a meticulous person and nothing was left to chance - the pre-planning assured success. A professional auctioneer "Stud Stock Experts - Brown and Leslie P/L" conducted the sale. The Supplement or Brochure of the Dispersal was printed by my brother-in-law - displaying photos of Smooths, their lot number and their pedigree. There must have been so much work in the days preceding the auction for all the Smooths on offer were in excellent order and perfectly presented, typical of Grenpark. Wendy Prentis was one of the handlers who brought the dogs in for the bidding. The dogs sold rapidly and some in particular brought large sums of money.... many breeders anxious to bid for certain dogs and so excited when they achieved their purpose.
My mixed feelings were the result of the euphoria of the moment and then the realisation that an era in Smooths was at an end. Cam Milward's famous Grenparks and all the planning and knowledge that had been invested in their development and success over the years, were to be no more. I felt a real sense of sadness to see those lovely Smooths leaving the Grenpark kennels. How must Cam and Elvie have felt - so much of their lives had been dedicated to their Smooths. However, Cam's plan to ensure a fair distribution of his stock via auction, meant that many folk were granted the opportunity to incorporate these bloodlines in their breeding programmes.