Bart prepares for his 30th birthday bash

Kendall O'Connor, GREAT SOUTHERN HERALDGreat Southern Herald
Camera IconShire of Wagin staff Kayla Lloyd, Kylie Caley and Kirsty Simkins are prepraing for Bart's 30th birthday celebrations. Credit: Great Southern Herald

He is one of Wagin's most eligible baa-chelors, but he does not want to pull the wool over anyone's eyes about his age.

On October 10, Wagin will celebrate the 30th birthday of the Giant Ram, also known as Bart, and the town has an action-packed day in store to acknowledge the well-known merino and what he has done for the region.

The fun starts at 10am at Wagin Ram Park and festivities include markets, food, music - and, of course, birthday cake.

Ian Pederick was involved in the construction of the ram all those years ago.

Thanks to some handy contacts in 3-D photography, the perfect ram was modelled and enlarged.

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Its look was taken from a prize-winning ram from Jaloran Stud, one of several merino breeders found in the Shire.

At the time, the ram was valued at $40,000.

A 250-tonne crane helped position Bart in place, where he has remained since.

Mr Pederick said since Bart's installation, he has become a tourism icon for the region.

He can recall community groups and stud breeders in Wagin offering their support for the project.

"The image of Wagin has been enhanced remarkably," he said.

"It was judged as being the perfect animal at the time and that can't be taken away."

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