STAN COLLINS 1884 - 1966

Stan got his first dog in 1896 at the age of 14, before the turn of the century. He was considered one of the best sheepdog handlers in Australia. He won trials from South Australia to Cairns in North Queensland. He was also in demand as a trial judge. He is said to have had a wonderful sense of humour and could tell great stories about dogs. His Kelpies were well known for working in the large paddocks of the west. He often did all the work by himself with just his team of sheepdogs.

He was also regarded as an important breeder as many of his dogs formed the foundation strains for other Studs. The best known of his breeding is Scanlons Dell, who bred a lot of great Kelpies in Frank Scanlons Stud near Quirindi NSW. He also bred and worked many other outstanding Kelpies including Collins Toy, Misty Spot, Robin, Nellie, Sunny Spot, Roylie and Ring.

HAYNES RING

Sire: Haynes Rusty (Red Kelpie) - ( Joker II X Chip III)

Dam: Bowers Moss (Haynes Blue King X Maid of Moan)

Stan Collins often said that the greatest allround sheepdog he had ever known was Haynes Ring, a dog that Stan owned. Many people who saw Ring agreed with him. Some said he was the best Kelpie since Coil. Haynes Ring is also well known as the sire of Scanlons Dell, a dog bred by Stan Collins.

In the 1930's, Haynes Ring was also selected by Mr. John Quinn as the best example of a good sheepdog for a film that was made by an American crew. This was filmed at the Sydney Showground. Unfortunately no current research has been able to find where that film went. It is likely to be still sitting gathering dust somewhere in the USA.

Ring was the sire of Collins Toy. Toy was a black and tan bitch out of Woombi Rene and was used in Frank Scanlons breeding. Bangle was another bitch by Ring.

Ring was also the sire of Scanlons Jet II. Jet was out of McMasters Gwen. Scanlons Jet is seen in some of the Rockybar breeding and Kalari Joker. Jet was a black bitch. Ring mated to Ringlet produced Bangels Choice. Ring mated to Bangels choice produced Diamond.

Stan Collins always owned a number of high quality dogs. Some of his better known dogs were: Rene, Sunny Spot, Misty Spot, Bangle, Nettle, Toy, Nellie and Robin. Another was Blue Biddy. At a Sheepdog Trial held at Gympie in Queensland she made a name for herself by winning the Novice event and then coming back out and taking the honours in the Open event against all the more experienced dogs. Collins Toy was a bitch later used by Frank Scanlon in his breeding. She was a black & tan female.

ROYALIE

Another very good Kelpie that Stan Collins owned was Royalie. She was later sold to a Mr. Heath for the high price of £40. At one stage while Stan Collins owned her he used her during the shearing for all the yard and penning up work over a period of 3 weeks. They finished at the shed on the Thursday and on the Friday he was working her gently on three nervous sheep in the NSW Championship Sheepdog Trial. She made it to the final which was held on the Saturday. Amazingly, on the Saturday she was good enough to win and become the State Champion. She was later bitten and killed by a snake.

Stan Collins also used Stanley McMaster's (McMaster Stud) good bitch Gwen in his breeding. This breeding was reported to have given him some of his top dogs. One of Gwen's progeny was Scanlons Jet II.

SCANLONS DELL

Sire: Haynes Ring (Blue Kelpie) - (Haynes Rusty X Moss)

Dam: Nellie - (Red Kelpie) - (Sandy X Fawn)

Scanlons Dell was bred by Stan Collins as was Scanlons Jet II. However in those days the dogs were often known by who owned them rather than who bred them. Dell was one of the best known of Collins breeding because she in turn produced such good dogs.

The dam of Scanlons Dell was a red bitch that went back in breeding to Coil, Biddy and Biddys Daughter. It has been said that Nellie was a very strong-willed bitch but she won a number of Sheepdog Trials for Stan Collins including: Roma, Brisbane, Stanthorpe, Ipswich and Warick as well as being placed in many others.

Tony Parsons of the Karrawarra Stud once said that Scanlons Dell was "a supreme breeding unit" and if she was a thoroughbred Racehorse she would be immortalised today as the greatest mare in history. Dell was mated to at least eight different males. They were, Don O'Currawang, Wilga, Boy Blue Currawang Nap, McMasters Blue, Nigger, Badge and Brown Hope. She produced good pups to all of them.

When mated to Nigger she produced Warrigal. He was the sire of Butlers Johnny, considered by many to have been Australia's greatest Trial sheepdog. The mating also produced Jack. He was the sire of Scanlons Wren, who in turn was the dam of the big cream dog, Porters Don as well as Porters Blue, Bronte and Porters Mick. All outstanding Kelpies.

Mated to Brown Hope she produced Last Hope. This was a major sire in the famous Currawang Stud of Jack Goodfellow.

When mated to Badge she gave us Woombi Jill, the dam of Woombi Silver as well as Woombi Zinc. Paddy Noakes thought Zinc was the best dog he ever bred. Zinc was later owned by Athol Butler. However Scanlons Dell also produced Glen & Judy who were the parents of Woombi Budgery, the sire of Woombi Zinc. A lot of good close linebreeding in that pedigree.

Stan Collins loved the Kelpie and often commented that the waterbag and the Kelpie were true Australian inventions. He had a lot of friends in the sheepdog world including the late Frank Scanlon who of course had the famous fawn & tan bitch, Dell bred by Stan Collins.

Stan Collins was always assisting new handlers and breeders and helped in many ways to promote the Kelpie. He was a man with a good sense of humour and told marvellous stories about dogs and the people associated with them. The Queensland Sheep Dog Workers Association made him a life time member in acknowledgment of his achievements with sheepdogs.

Stan Collins was a man I reckoned wouldn't put a story over you. He said one morning a chap and I were out on a big property in back Queensland and we saw these few sheep coming out of the scrub and out came two Dingoes. He said, You've never seen a Kelpie dog work sheep better than those dogs did. He said one would Complement the other. I'll tell you another thing. It is common knowledge in Dingo infested country that a Dingo bitch will drive two or three sheep or a little lot of sheep over to her pups and kill it so they can feed off it.

It gives you food for thought when you see all the things I've seen. I've been about this country for as long as most men around today. And I have every reason to believe that the Kelpie had Australian Dingo in him. - Frank Scanlon interviewed by Stephen & Mary Bilson. 1985

Stan Collins died at Toowoomba in Queensland in 1966.