History of Briards in Australia

by Alex McAlpine (Bruinbri)

In 1974 four Desamee Briards arrived in Australia. Two were for Brian and Ohyl Beveridge. They were Desmaee Danny Bear (Shiel's Thor de la Tour St Genin/Desamee Etoile Bear). The other two were for Sue Rodstead and were Desamee Neptune Bear(litter brother to Nanie Bear) and Desamee Emma Bear(litter sister to Danny Bear.) At around about the same time a bitch Silencieuse From Shiel(Shiel's Thor de la Tour St Genin/Souhaite from Shiel) arrived in Australia. Some confusion surrounded "Sally's importation, but fortunately her future well-being was assured when she was taken over by Phyl and Brian for their Aacarsha Kennels, and in fact, the first Australian bred litter, whelped on January 26th 1976 (Australia Day) was from Neptune Bear and Sally.
 
In 1975 the Beveridges imported a fawn dog Harley Burn Charbon Fauve (Desamee Frabrice Bear/Spontaneite from Shiel). Fabrice was a litter brother to neptune and Nanie. Around that time Desamee Etoile Bear(Ch. Desamee Tripot de Vasouy/Ch. Desamee Mitzi Moffat) arrived for Sue Rodstead to take the place of Emma Bear who had been spayed following pyometria. She was in-whelp to Beaune of Baldslow (Ch. Vir d'el Pastre of Baldslow)/Desamee Juliette Bear of Bryend) and whelped in Sydney quarantine kennels in Febuary 1976, only two weeks after the first Australian litter, for Bendelbah  kennels.
 
Beaune went on to become Top Stud Dog in United Kingdom on several occasions.Somewhere in the same time slot, Vivienne Oxley (Wynn) who had been living in England. returned, bringing with her Baldslow Touffe (Ch. Vir d'el Pastre of Baldslow/Lullingstone Millicent of Baldslow) who was litter sister to Baldslow Tohu-bohu in New Zealand.
 
After my first trip to the United Kingdom in the summer of 1978, I imported Baldslow Wain in early 1979. He is a black dog fromSaracen of Baldslow/Ch. Baldslow Yetti (a daughter of Beaune). Saracen's mother was the French bitch Veni du Val de Reuil whose mother Tzarine du Val de Reuil was a producer of a great number of Top Stud Dogs through several years of French Rassemblements. In mid 1979, Desamee Helga Bear (Desamee Billy Bear/Baldslow Hagar at Desamee) was added to Bruinbri kennels. Billy Bear is a son of the famous fawn bitch Ch. Desamee Bambin Bear from her litter to Nor. Ch. Desamee Rudolhe Bear (litter brother to Desamee Juliette Bear of Bryend). Bambin Bear's influence on the Australian scene was augmented further when Beveridges imported Desamee Bradley Bear from her litter to Baldslow Rouseau.
 
In addition, Australia has been invaded from across the Tasman as Janette Wisseman and Margaret Alderton in Brisbane and Karen Buchanan in Morisset. NSW, have imported " Angevin" Briards from Linda Shove's New Zealand Kennels, but as thier ancestry would be fully familiar to New Zealand Briardists I will not detail it here