IT’S two turns from the highway and down a gravel track to the gate, follow the sound of buzzing, eager yips from a Kelpie and sprawl of banter to Scott Cole’s shearing shed on the edge of Delungra.
Inverell’s Mark Weiss was bent over, just putting the finishing touches on a newly-shorn young ewe, while a mob of 100 lambs stood in the pens next door, looking worried.
It was the lambs’ first shearing, and Jack Cole swooped in to gather fallen fleece to put in the press.
Beside Mark was Daniel McIntrye, sending a last pass around the rump of a little wether, not much of a challenge compared to some larger breeds that can outweigh a man by 30-40 kilos.
The 34-year-old Glen Innes shearer is the reigning Australian Shearing Champion, second year in a row.
He is heading to New Zealand in just a couple of weeks for another try for the Golden Shears.
He flicked off his clippers, set the wether on its feet and patted it away to scramble down the chute and join its flock now shining white and grazing in the morning sun.
They had been at it for two hours, and Daniel had 57 to Mark’s 47, with another 300 or so to go.
It was time for smoko.
The men pulled out big eskys for a morning bite to eat.
Glen Innes' Daniel McIntyre, current and two-time Australian Shearing Champion. in action
Mark is the same age as Daniel, and started shearing at 20.
He said no two shearers shear the same, though they all follow the same patterns.
“Belly wool to back leg, to neck, to long blow,” Mark said, biting into a sandwich.
“But he might only do four blows on a belly and I might do five, and then back leg, and he does four, where he fills his comb right up and I leave a few teeth hanging out.”
Mark is organising the Inverell Show’s Sapphire Sport Shears competition on March 5.
He said the 2015 competition was abandoned due to a shortage of sheep, but this year, Bundarra’s Clerkness Station is supplying a flock for novices to veterans.
titan.requestAd.push("adspot-300x250_300x600-pos3"); See your ad here“We generally get about 50 shearers to it,” Mark said.
“Generally there’s a couple 15-year-olds who are just getting ready to leave school that had a go, practicing on their parents sheep, come into the novice.
“But you get them right up to 60-70 still shearing in shows.”
Daniel started shearing at 17, and said the job is never monotonous.
“You’re trying to improve all the time, you’re not just going through the motions, you’re trying to get that bit better,” he said.
Daniel said he enjoyed the physical challenge to start with.
“You can travel all over the world shearing, and you’re with different people all the time,” he said.
“I just fell in love with it I suppose. I haven’t stopped.”
Mark agreed, despite the odd whinger, the people in the shed made the job enjoyable.
“You’re never in the one spot for too long, seeing different people every week, get around the country, getting work around Australia.”