News

Shearers compete at Longerenong

Media Release, Thursday 13 May 2004

The success of an inaugural shearing competition at the Longerenong campus of the University of Melbourne has encouraged organisers to make it a regular event.

An animated group of spectators and future shearers witnessed the competition in the Longerenong shearing shed last week. A team of six Advanced Diploma of Agriculture students won the competition.

The team of Peter Bitans, Meagan Faulkner, Simon Goode, Lee Connor, Kate Forrest and Cass Mitchell amassed most points in shearing, roustabout and wool handling sections to take out the inaugural competition.

Winning team members were from throughout Victoria with Peter from Truganina near Werribee, Meagan from Tragowel near Kerang, Simon from St Arnaud, Lee from Beremboke south of Ballan, Kate from Bendigo and Cass from Goroke.

Damien Kearney and Meagan Faulkner were best male and female shearers and Lee Connor won best wool handler.

Campus agricultural course co-ordinator John Goldsmith said the competition was so successful that Longerenong planned to run it again in the future.

“It gave the students a chance to use their new skills and other students really got into the spirit of the competition,” he said.

Mr Goldsmith said classes of 12 students, who had each taken turns to complete shearing training courses, chose their teams of six to take part in the competition.

Teams had to have at least one female among three shearers, one roustabout and two wool handlers.

Instructors Herb Hutchins and John Uebergang assessed the shearers, David Summers from Sunbeam judged the roustabouts and wool classer Robert Johns assessed the wool handlers.

Attention Picture Editors:

Photos available from Gavin Drew, Head of Longerenong Campus, Phone: 03 5362 2201 Fax: 03 5362 2213 Mobile: 0427 944 466