Mhunga Whalla shearer training camp in WA, January 2020

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are advised that the following content contains images and voices of people who have died.
A shearing camp for young indigenous Australians in the Mid-West region of Western Australia has given them a taste for shearing shed work and helped build the wool harvesting workforce, thereby benefiting local communities and the wool industry.
The Geraldton-based Mhunga Whalla group, founded by Aboriginal shearing legend Bobby Pepper, and the WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development organised the camp, in collaboration with WA Shearing Industry Association (WASIA) and Australian Wool Innovation (AWI). It was hosted by the Teakle family of ‘Ingavale’ at Northampton, about 50 km north of Geraldton.
The nine keen participants aged 16 to 29 completed the two-week course facilitated by accredited trainers supplied by AWI - and have all gone on to obtain further work experience in Mid-West shearing sheds.
For further information about AWI’s shearer and wool handler training resources, visit www.wool.com/p....

[@alyecemillgate1853]

Thats was young aboriginal people need the best skills to work like everyone else has the opportunity to learn anything and good on this paige love it

[@joemurnane3425]

I think that if Kevin didn't train me, there would not even be a chance that I wouldn't have kept going and even though I am still a learner it feels good to have learned from the best

[@jimjohnston4181]

Funny I did a shearing coarse 2 months back and still haven't landed a stand every one is screaming for wool handlers not shearers. I've called contractors and they all want rousie's not shearers, 90% of people that do the shearing coarse don't make it to shearing because there is more of a shortage of wool handlers then shearers be aware of this any one wanting to become a shearer.

[@JudesViews]

Shearing groups fbook...looking for shearers.. sometimes you gotta rousy or press...before you get your stand....shearers are getting older...we need young ones to carry on...keep trying mate if you want it bad enough youll get there 😉

[@jimjohnston4181]

Juice Stahh just would be good to see some transparency for these kids doing the coarse as I will agree with you that there is a shortage of shearers I will follow that up with rousy's are more in demand as every shed I've attended since my coarse there has been one rousy to three shearers every time maybe rousy wages should increase some what as I have come to the realisation they are always over worked 1 rousy three shearers some of the fleeces entering the bail arnt being skirted properly affecting the farmers scores at the wool buyers. Some transparency on this matter is needed. And I know I'll get my hundred just not gonna get caught in the contractors trap of rousy for twelve months first and wait for a free stand no call me when u have a free stand I'll go and make a fair wage concreteing till then.

[@jimjohnston4181]

And please don't mistake my attitude for a bad one I'm not shy of hard work I was just shocked to be asked to rousy because there were no stands available when I was told there is a shortage of shearers? And every contractor has the same attitude.

[@jimjohnston4181]

And to be perfectly honest at the moment for the well far of the animals there should be 1 rousy to every shearer and there wage should reflect the shearers as it's a set rate of pay but it isn't a set rate of work each day. These videos should be wool handling schools with a better pay opportunity to get these kids in the sheds then they can aspire to become a shearer. Seems to be the wrong way around. Every shed I've been in has been under staffed with rousy's and I can tell you now when the farmer isn't looking a lot of wool that shouldn't gets thrown in the press sometimes affecting scores for farmers and so on down the chain with wool buyers and sellers. In some way reflecting wages of rousy's to shearers would encourage more people into the sheds and thus into shearing.

[@kingzck6186]

Gotta earn your stripes to get a stand