Just two weeks after turning his hand to shearing, young Max Reynolds is shearing 80 head a day and is dreaming of shearing on a global stage.
He is one of the hundreds of new recruits being attracted to the Victorian shearing industry thanks to an ambitious recruitment program led by Shearing Contractors Association of Australia's (SCAA) Shearer Woolhandler Training and Australian Wool Innovation, which is investing nearly $3 million to attract 400 new shearers and shed staff annually, and retaining existing staff.
With the encouragement of his boss, Robert Crouch, A-Team Shearing Contractors, the 19-year-old says shearing has been a "big step in a new direction" for the Inverleigh-based former concreter and window glazier.
"I've never enjoyed a job as much as this," Mr Reynolds said.
"It has been a massive eye-opener - the culture, the crew, the support I've been given from the blokes I work with and (SCAA) teachers has been incredible. It's been an awesome experience."
He is one of 34 Victorian shearers who were given an AWI-funded learner shearer toolkit as part of the Breaking Down the Barriers project in the past six months. Valued at more than $2000, the tool kit includes a Heiniger handpiece, grinding stone, pendulum, oil can, comb brush, singlet and a gear bag.
To receive the kit, Mr Reynolds completed one novice wool harvesting training course, is a working as a learner shearer, enrolled in Certificate II in shearing and has done one of two AWI 'in-shed training' days.
He will be deemed a learner shearer until he has shorn 5000 sheep, and until then is guaranteed a weekly roustabout wage of $1108.65.
"I was expecting to jump around from ship to ship while training so it has been awesome to work with this crew - there is so much work going around," he said.
"I've tried to get friends to give us a hand but they think it will be too hard and they'll be too sore. I thought it would be a massive physical struggle but it hasn't - you get used to it."
SCAA has been providing training in Victoria since 1997 when the organisation was formed by a group of shearing contractors, and in 2020 expanded in South Australia.
It runs AWI in-shed training workshops in Victoria, in a training model AWI Program Manager for Wool Harvesting Training and Development Craig French wants to emulate nationally.
"SCAA run the five-day course, and that is state government funded, AWI then provides the post-school funding for on the job training. It's a good balance and better value for money," Mr French said.
"It's a significant state government investment so it takes a lot of pressure off AWI so we can spread into regions who don't get that funding."
Such as NSW, which received 652 total AWI-funded training days compared to Victoria's 254 last year.
"Growers are paying more of their levy into NSW but there are more sheep, and collaborating with SCAA means there is a further 270 training days in Victoria," Mr French said.
"We need roughly 400 new entrants each year to keep on top of the people leaving the industry - 200 shearers and 200 shed hands - and in addition, with the flock increasing in the last 18 months, we need double that to keep up.
"We have given about 132 learners shearers tool kits since July 1 and we need better than that - 250 at least to get back in front."
Annabelle Cleeland
Annabelle Cleeland is a Stock & Land journalist. She has worked at Australian Community Media for more than a decade serving in a number of roles including editor, senior journalist and national sheep & wool writer. She runs a fine Merino wool property with her young family in North-East Victoria.
Annabelle Cleeland is a Stock & Land journalist. She has worked at Australian Community Media for more than a decade serving in a number of roles including editor, senior journalist and national sheep & wool writer. She runs a fine Merino wool property with her young family in North-East Victoria.
