02/05/2026
Words cannot express how much this dear man will be missed by our family. ♥️
Bill Robbins grew up on the land as a 5th generation merino farmer. Bill was extremely athletic in his younger years holding the under 16yr old Australian high jump record. He went on to play for the Sydney Swans football club. He didn’t like the city life though and returned back to the farm.
Bill and Annette started their farming career together in 1973. They had land at Bullioh and due to its beautiful terrain and location, wattle regrowth and blackberries were a real problem. They decided that instead of continually spraying the pastures, they’d get angora goats. They fell in love with the angoras and bred and showed them successfully for 30 years. They had over 500 does which Bill himself sheared twice a year.
In 1990, Bill and Annette purchased their first alpaca. As Bill and Annette were some of the first to own alpaca in Australia, Bill had quite an amount of influence in the early years, in pioneering this new industry. A sheep and wool judge, he also became a respected Alpaca judge and the first Australian to be asked to judge overseas. He spent time in Peru, judged in the US, Canada and NZ, along with all the Royal Shows in Australia, the Australian National Shows and many rural shows in all of the States.
Bill was also an alpaca judge trainer due to his experience and extensive knowledge from sheep wool classing. He trained many of the judges we now consider as our ‘older, if not retired, judges’.
We met Bill and Annette in 2006 when I was 10 years old. They were running over 500 alpacas at the time. I peppered them with questions about alpacas, not as a typical child would, but questions on genetics, traits, quality, etc. Bill took me under his wing and always asked my opinion first on an animal, even as a child with very little knowledge. Bill was a natural born leader and teacher. I will forever feel very blessed to have had my very own international alpaca judge living nearby, who I could always converse with. The knowledge I gained shaped our herd into what it is today. Some of my most favourite memories are Bill & Annette calling in, in springtime, for a cuppa & date scones and to view our latest weanlings prior to shearing.
Bill and I also shared a love for cattle. Bill bred absolutely beautiful cattle! I quote in the wise words of Bill; “My whole philosophy in farming is that it takes just as much time and money to run poor quality animals as good quality, but the financial returns only come from quality stock.”
Bill and Annette have always been considered family to us, becoming our adopted grandparents along the way. They are the most beautiful people anyone could have the pleasure of knowing. Although a very humble man, Bill was always straight down the line, and he called a spade a spade (a wonderful trait that not everyone appreciates).
Bill and Annette had 2 children. They lost their son Aaron in 1999, at 25 years old. Then in 2019, they lost their daughter Tracy, which broke all our hearts.
Bill and Annette LOVED their children, they were their world. Their stud name ‘Traron’ is a combination of Tracy & Aaron’s names.
Bill and Annette shared a love so beautiful and rare these days. The mutual love and respect between them was so evident.
Annette summed up that love perfectly when she wrote in Bill’s eulogy:
“We did everything together for 56 years and somehow, managed to survive the loss of our children and together fought till the end. (Bill had prostate cancer).
The answer to Ronan Keatings song, “If Tomorrow never Comes, does She know how much I Love Her?”
The answer Will..... is Yes, I have always known how much you love me and I will always love you.”
Pictured is some of Traron Alpacas winnings, the pile of ribbons they had was enormous and the trophy cabinet was full.
And pictured is the Traron ladies and gents that are residing at Shalom Alpacas. Along with 6 month old twin calves born from one of the cows we purchased from Bill and Annette.
