Shearing Shed Hand
Shearing shed hands assist shearers, perform routine duties in shearing sheds and handle the fleeces after they have been shorn from the sheep.
Shearing shed hands may perform the following tasks:
- assist station hands to pen sheep for shearing
- pick up the fleece after it is removed from the sheep and throw it onto a large table for 'skirting' (process to remove dirty, stained or coloured pieces from the wool)
- remove inferior and stained wool from fleeces as directed by a wool classer
- grade wool which has been skirted off fleeces
- roll the fleece into bundles and pass it to a wool classer for classing
- transfer fleeces into wool presses to form solid bundles called bales
- sweep the shed floor to help keep the fleeces clean and to avoid contamination.
Specialisations:
With experience and sometimes further training, it is possible to become a shearer or a wool classer.
Wool Presser
A wool presser transfers the fleeces into wool presses to form solid bales. They weigh the bales, brand the completed wool bale with the owner's name, a description of the wool and a bale number, and keep records of all bales completed.
Shearing shed hands may need to travel long distances from property to property to work. Accommodation is usually provided in shearers' quarters either on the property or in a nearby town. Some work within their own district and travel daily to the shearing shed, returning to their own homes each day.
Personal Requirements:
- able to work quickly for long periods
- able to work as part of a team
- willing to travel and live in remote areas
- able to undertake manual work
- good physical fitness and strength.
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