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Exports and Expeditions
Shearers use handpieces that are equipped with combs and very sharp cutters to cut wool from sheep. Althugh wool has been one of Australia's largest exports, the technology used in shearing today is essentially the same as that used a hundred years ago.
However, handpieces, shearing plants, and combs and cutters have improved. It takes a couple of minutes to shear a sheep, and a good shearer can shear up to 200 sheep per day.
Most shearers now travel out from Perth or a regional town to the property where the shearing is being conducted. When they stay over, it's called a camp-out or expedition shearing.
Shearers own and maintain their own equipment and perform many tasks other than the main process of shearing fleece from sheep. They have to capture the sheep in a catching-pen and drag it to the shearing machine. This work is physically demanding and correct handling techniques are needed.
Shear Strength And Stamina
You need good balance, reflexes and sheep handling skills in order to maintain control over the sheep while shearing. Warm up exercises are an important preparation for the strenuous work of shearing and are recommended to avoid injuries. Back strain is a hazard of the job.
''New ideas for wool harvesting are being trialled which will eliminate the need for shearers to drag sheep from the pen,'' says Greg Bell, President of the Western Australian Shearing Contractors Association.
''However, professionally trained shearers will still be required to operate the handpiece and remove fleece from the sheep in the traditional way.''
Shearers need to be physically fit, efficient and methodical. This work can be uncomfortable as most shearing is done in hot tin sheds on farms and stations. A good diet and regular fluid intake is important so that shearers maintain adequate reserves of energy to continue working.
The working day is fairly regimented. It consists of four 2 hour runs starting at 7.30am and finishing at 5.30pm. There are two 30 minute breaks throughout the day and a one hour break for lunch.
Most shearers work in a team, ranging anywhere from three people to over 30 for a large team, most commonly there are 10 or 12 workers on a team.
Work is seasonal. The main shearing seasons are in autumn and spring, with work slowing down in winter and prior to Christmas. Some shearers work part-time on other work on farms during the off-season periods. Other shearers travel around to different regions of the State to pick up continuous shearing work.
The majority of shearers work in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions of the State. Shearing is still conducted in the 'station country' which includes the Gascoyne, Pilbara, Goldfields and Nullarbor, but there are not as many sheep in these areas and they are shorn mainly in the off-season.
While males have typically performed this work in the past, females interested in becoming shearers are being encouraged by people in the industry to check it out.
Learners And Improvers
Most people start out as woolhandlers. Their job is to keep the shed clean, herd the sheep and take the shorn fleece to the table where other woolhandlers prepare the fleece into bails.
The first steps for learners are how to hold the sheep and then how to hold the shearing equipment. After learning how to shear a sheep, the key skill to learn is how to shear large numbers of sheep. Because, until a person can shear 80 sheep a day, they are only paid woolhandler rates. Beyond that they are classed as 'improvers' and can be employed as shearers and receive piecework rates.
Learners/wool handlers often gain experience by finishing off sheep shorn by shearers or practice on the end of the run.
It can take three to five years to become a truly competent shearer. Many shearers are still learning new techniques after many years. Formal training can assist you to learn the latest techniques.
Earnings for experienced shearers are calculated by piecework rates, which depend on the number of sheep sheared per day. Shearers are currently paid about $1.65 per sheep. Those who work fast, efficiently and have good shearing skills can earn up to $500 per day. Earnings can range anywhere from $15,000 to $60,000 or more per annum.
Shearing is hard work but good shearers can travel statewide, interstate or even internationally following the work as a shortage of trained shearers does exist in WA. However, according so some reports, wool production is currently down, wool prices flat and the demand for wool products waning.
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