Eighteen months ago, local shearer Jock Mallise decided to work to get Barraba on the national shearing and wool handling competition circuit.
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"Barraba has a long and proud history as a centre of the wool industry - it still is," Jock said.
After a huge amount of hard work by Jock, the Barraba Show Society and other volunteers, a substantial grant from the Royal Agricultural Society Foundation, and support from Australian Wool Innovation and other sponsors it all happened.
The old sheep pavilion at the Showground was transformed into a modern four stand shearing board with the sheep and wool handling (and spectator) facilities to match, ready for the 2023 Show.
It was a great success - "I was overwhelmed", Jock said.
With over 80 competitors registered, and when the first shearers hit the board on Saturday at the 2023 Barraba Show, there was already a crowd in the stands.
The crowd grew as the competition hotted up, and, right in front of the spectators, the wool handling competitors' skills were on display.
Such was the entertainment on display that the spectator stands overflowed; some spectators stayed all day, others kept coming back.
This special built facility is perfect for training the future crop of shearers.
A very successful shearing school, accredited by TAFE NSW, was held late last year; more are planned.
So Jock is planning a bigger and more entertaining competition this year.
The Show dates (1,2, and 3 March) fitted perfectly with other NSW Sports Shear events; the only other official competition on that weekend is at Boorowa, in Southern NSW, so all the best shearers in northern NSW, keen to gain points, will come to Barraba.
As well, Barraba is offering two days of Wool Handling competition; there has only been two other days in the season, so it is virtually guaranteed that the best competitors in this skill will be here.
The two days at the Show are as follow:
- Saturday 2 March 8.00 am - Sports Shear competition starts (Merino sheep).
- Sunday 3 March 7.30 am - Sports Shear competition starts (Crossbred sheep)
On both days Wool Handling competition starts when shearing heats for the four classes are finished.
While it will be mostly the same competitors on the two days, the skills and techniques used are different for merinos and crossbreds - the champions, who wins the day's battle, may be quite different.
Facilities have improved from last year: for the shearers, another shearing stand, making five, has been added and the floor strengthened.
With all the hard work, the shearers need food and drink.
As well as the Show Dining room next door, on Saturday, the Cattle Section BBQ is close by, and on Sunday there will be a BBQ in the Shearing Pavilion.
A bar will also operate in the Shearing Pavilion on both days.
For the sheep, there will be more yards and shade cover over those yarded outside the pavilion.
For the spectators, there will be more seating, and cover from the heat/rain between the shearing pavilion and the poultry shed.
And, of course, there will be a bar, operating both days, in one corner of the Shearing Pavilion.
This will be an enormous operation, one that Jock has been planning for months.
Moving the individual competitors (at the time of writing there were 94 registered) in and out of their heats and finals efficiently is a very complicated logistic exercise, as is moving the sheep, and pressing and moving the wool.
Five hundred sheep will be needed on each day.
On Saturday those five hundred sheep will need to be yarded, shorn, then trucked out so that the next five hundred are ready at 7.30 am on Sunday.
On Saturday, the fleeces from the merinos may make up to 50 bales; they have to be pressed and moved out. There is no woolshed in which to stack them!
This enormous operation will need many pairs of hands throughout the day.
Moving the sheep, clearing the board, pressing and moving the wool, supporting the competitors, the list goes on. Many volunteers are needed.
If you think that you can offer some help call/text Jock Mallise 0428 416 050. He would love to hear from you.
A special thanks to the sheep donors: Ian and Mandy Cabot, and Neil and Kerry Smith. A big "Thank You" to all the sponsors; Trend Tiles Inverell, Purtle and Plevey, Rocky Glen, Alugundi, J Gilmore, Ash Miller, C Rutley, Action Engineering Action Solutions, Peter and Lou Capel, Jack Johnston, Paul Layton Shearing, THCFA, Norco Glen Innes, Adette Grazing, Heinegar, Sleepy Merino, Barraba Bowlo, Fox and Lillie, Barraba RSL, Karen Gill, Sign Print & Stitch, McGregor Gourlay, AWI, Calibre Country.
