A Skipton blade shearing legend has been honoured with a monument dedicated to his career at the town's spring festival on Sunday.
Leslie 'Ben' Wilkie shore sheep for 43 years for many local studs, but rather than using mechanical equipment like most shearers, he used blade shears for the entirety of his career.
Mr Wilkie's daughter Rhonda Slater and extended family attended the launch of the monument.
She thanked the Skipton Progress Association and Skipton Historical Society for their help in creating the monument.
"He would have been very humbled with this monument to him," she said.
"We could not have wished for anything better than for Dad to be honoured in his and our home town."
In 2016, Skipton farmer Malcolm Fletcher proposed a monument dedicated to Mr Wilkie to the Skipton Progress Association, with locals also designing, laser-cutting and contributing to its construction over the years.
Mr Wilkie began his career at 17 years old in 1939 and became so proficient in blade shearing that he shunned new technology.
"Dad once tried the shearing machines but he didn't like it, so he just continued with the blades and then it got to the stage where many studs around here also preferred the blades," Ms Slater said.
"He also had a small property out near Geelong road and ran a few sheep himself, so he'd be shearing his own flock, and I would sometimes be there to watch too."
Mr Wilkie regularly competed at blade shearing competitions since 1954, winning the Australian Blade Shearing Championships seven times and entering his last championship in 1984, which he won at 61.
He was often asked to host blade shearing demonstrations at agricultural shows throughout western Victoria and Melbourne and regularly taught young farmers how to blade shear.
Mr Wilkie lived in Skipton until he died in 2011.
Designer of the monument Lyn Heenan said Mr Wilkie was an icon not only to Skipton but to the shearing industry statewide.
"He was a highly skilled professional, who has had a great history with this town," she said.
"The shearing industry is moving quite fast and is ever changing, so to recognise where we have come from is important."
John McGrath, who has been blade shearing himself for over 40 years, also gave a demonstration at the festival with Mr Wilkie's original blade shears.
He said while it wasn't conventional in the industry, interest in blade shearing was still very strong.
"There was a massive re-enactment of blade shearing in 2010 up near Tuppel, NSW where they had 72 of us on the board at once blade shearing," he said.
"I think that's regenerated it a bit, but having said that, you'd find blade shearers are pretty mature and up there in age.
"The blade shearers that I meet tell me there's still a lot of it being done in the cold country of New Zealand."
He said blade shearing suited studs preparing sheep for showing competitions.
"I sometimes leave about 12 millimetres of wool or so on the sheep, and it allows the sheep to cover themselves when it gets freezing cold," he said.
Progress Association subcommittee member Natasha Frisby said the spring festival was a success and celebrated Skipton's resilience after devastating floods hit the town just over a year ago.
"The day has been very good for Skipton and many in the town really had a great time," she said.
"It was great to see the town come together and celebrate."
