It is so nice to know so many of you had participated in our activities and special events whilst I was away. I think it means we have put the last two years behind us, and we are ready to move on.
I heard a radio segment recently about young people taking up some of the jobs that are in desperate need of filling. It reminded me of my first job.
About this time of the year when the wattle is in full bloom, shearing on a farm is the year’s big event. I was in my mid-teens and allowed to have a week off school to help with the muster and in the shed. I would ditch my uniform for overalls and boots and head off in the ute with my Dad and a few kelpies in the back to bring the sheep back to the home paddock and then the yards for shearing. My job was mainly to jump out and open and shut the many gates.
However, back at the shed the real fun began. The shearing team consisted of about half a dozen crusty shearers and a few pimply faced young rouse-abouts. I worked with the wool classer who taught me a few things about wool, but I could never get my head around the different grades of Merino wool e.g., AAA, AA, etc. The wool was put into separate cubicles according to the grade and then it was loaded into a wool press lined with a hessian bag which was filled and pressed until it was very full and tight. An average bale weighs about 180 kg.
The wool classer had a huge bag needle, and he stitched the top like a true seamstress. My job then was to paint using a metal stencil and black ink the sign Holleywoods Giffard on the bale plus the grade of wool. The bales would then be ready to be transported to the wool stores in North Melbourne. I loved the noise, the smells, the excitement and the experience and I received five pounds for my week of work.
Thought for the Month: Do what you love to do and be around things that make you smile
