Breeding Australian Working Kelpies has been in the McMaster family for many generations. The Stud was formed by John McMaster in the very early 1900's with a King and McLeod Kelpie bitch called Gwen. John died in 1907 and the breeding was then done by Robert McMaster. Robert was the first of the family to try the dogs at Sheepdog Trials. One of his best dogs was McMasters Claim. Frank Scanlon once said " Claim was one of the best dogs I know and one which I would have liked to own". Robert McMaster died in 1938 and the Stud was then handled by Stanley McMaster.

Stanley bred many famous Kelpies including McMasters Ned and McMasters Blue. Ned won 14 Championship trials. Stanley started working in sheepdog trials on his return from World War I. Stanley once said "No machine can ever take the place of a sheepdog, no substitute can ever replace him."

Stan Mc Master took second place at Canberra trials two years in a row (1953 and 1954) and both times was only beaten by one point. The first year with Woombi Mist. In 1954 with McMasters Ned. At the time (1954) Ned at nine years of age had won 14 Championships, including the South Western Queensland Championship, three times.

Stanley was educated on the 'Croppa' property by his aunt but later went to London. In 1935 he took over a share of 'Croppa' and called it 'Wyreema'. He continued to live there until just before his death on 13th September 1964. Stanley was always surrounded by dogs and horses. He could get dogs to do anything for him. He taught one of his dogs, Banjo to carry a bridle down to the horse in the morning and after selecting a horse he would put Banjo up on the horse's back and give the dog the reins. Banjo would then 'ride' the horse back to the house.

Stanley said, "A sheepdog will work 24 hours a day if called on, does not understand disaffection and above all is indispensable. In a welter of changing ideas, the sheepdog alone is changeless. He asks no wages, demands no working conditions, cares nothing for wars, droughts or the price at which fuel is sold. In sheepdogs we see instinct at its highest, supplemented by an intelligence that, at its average, is memorable and at its best approximates genius".

McMasters Ned won a large number of sheep dog trials. He was entered in the Brisbane Open trial but Stanley was too sick to attend. He lent Ned to a friend to trial for him. Ned knew what was expected of him. He went out onto the field and paid no attention to the handler. He won the trial easily with no commands from his handler.

McMasters Ned won more than 30 Sheepdog Trials, including 14 Championship Trials. In the 1948 Trial at Tenterfield, McMasters Blue, the sire of McMasters Ned, won the trial, Ned came second and 3rd place went to McMasters Peter, a dog bred by Robert McMaster.

Stanley was well known as a social person and was often a story teller and musician at parties etc. He was also a man that loved to joke. After the Queensland Championship trials at Goondiwindi where he won with McMasters Ned and also took second place with McGraths Judy he dressed himself up as a swagman and disguised his dog by gluing cotton wool to him. (Ned). He then proceeded to work the trial backwards. He later performed this stunt at other trials.

Les Tarrant of Rockybar said of him ;"Stanley McMaster was a perfect handler of a sheepdog and an outstanding personality". Stan was well liked although he could be very frank and always spoke his mind. He helped many of the new and younger handlers to be better handlers of sheepdogs. He was firm with his dogs and they respected him but he was always a kind man to his animals. In his later years he often sat on the veranda at Wyreema and got great pleasure in just watching his dogs play.

One of his good friends was Father McCormack, the well known priest and sheepdog handler of Goondiwindi. Father McCormack had the opportunity to work McMasters Ned, Woombi Mist and McGraths Judy in sheep dog trials when Stanley was unable to attend.

Another of Stanley's dogs was 'Dinga'. At Christmas time when all the cousins etc had gathered at the Wyreema homestead he would get up early on Christmas morning. He would then instruct Dinga to get his slippers and then ask the dog to go upstairs and check how many of his daughters were still in bed. Dinga would then run upstairs, go into each girls room and then come back and give a bark for each girl still in bed. (He had four daughters).

Stanley only sold three or four litters a year. He was not a person who liked to keep or breed a lot of dogs. He regarded McMasters Blue as his best dog ever.

In 1956 the Wyreema homestead burnt down. This was one of the saddest moments in Stanley's life. The fire also destroyed all of Stanley's trophies and his dog records. After the fire, he lost some of his interest in dog trials. When Stanley died in 1964, the Stud was then passed onto Stanley's nephew, Gordon McMaster. His top sire at the time was Fernhill joker. In memory of Stanley McMaster a perpetual trophy is given at the Queensland Championship Trials each year. Stanley McMaster won the trial back in 1951 with McMasters Ned.

Gordon built up the numbers of breeding kelpies and renamed the Stud Wyreemamac but soon shortened it to Wyreema. Two of the best known Kelpies he had were Rockybar Bassey and Scanlon's Butch. Butch sired around 600 pups for Gordon. Under Gordon's leadership the Stud soon built up to carry 25 breeding bitches. According to the Wyreema Stud Catalogue of the late 1970's, the criteria for selecting kelpies was based on "colour of their eyes, fleetness of foot and the way a pup carries its tail". Gordon McMaster sent Kelpies to every State in Australia as well as USA, Middle East, South Africa, Honolulu and New Zealand. He travelled extensively throughout Australia as a Sheepclasser in the wool industry.

Mary and Stephen Bilson Noonbarra Kelpie Stud