At first glance the seven shearers tackling Merino weaners in a shed between Nyngan and Warren last week looked right at home – but in fact four of them were new recruits from Wales being coached on the intricacies of Australian sheep as a solution to a nation-wide shearer shortage.
Nyngan-based contractor Mick Taylor is well used to employing backpacker labour in his team and is now being supported by peak wool industry body Australia Wool Innovations, which is creating a campaign to attract more young people from the United Kingdom to boost shearer numbers in NSW, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania.
The AWI is providing free training to the Welsh shearers in Mr Taylor’s team and also videoing the process as part of a recruitment drive to bring more young people out from the United Kingdom…