Australian Shearers Hall of Fame Inductees 2024

Sunday, 6th October 2024

Peter William Black

Peter has had a lifetime of involvement in the shearing industry as a shearer, trainer, advisor judge and software development. Peter managed/coached the Australian Shearing and Wool Handling Team at three World Championships. Quick to apply technology to the betterment of shearing he developed the website shearingworld.com and also created LOJIK Shearing.

Damien Patrick Boyle

Damien is an inspiration to the shearing industry with his competition shearing record admired and will stand alone in the Western Australia shearing industry for many years to come. At age 37 Damien had 22 years of competition shearing under his belt he has made the finals of 99% of the competitions he has entered. In 2003, 2005 and 2006 Damien won every Australian Open competition totaling 31 wins!

Peter William Orcher

Peter began his shearing career at age 17 and mainly shore in North Western New South Wales with narrow combs. Peter became a contractor with his teams being great demand to the high standard he set and expected from his shearers and shed staff who on occasions were all indigenous.

Brian Anthony Sullivan

Brian ‘Sully” is left-handed master shearer always shearing with precision placement of blows. Brian has won eight State titles and 60 Open Shearing titles. As a shearer trainer for AWI Brian is dedicated to support young learners training at shearing schools and in- shed training support and is widely known for dropping in and assisting learners on the job.

Alan Arthur Williams

Alan is a NSW State Champion (1965) and in 1970 won the Australian Strong Wool Champions at the Royal Melbourne Show where he also reclaimed the NSW title. As a shearing instructor from 1973 at Echuca Technical College, Alan worked throughout the Riverina and Victoria. Alan was very widely respected.

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Cathryn Jean Wendelborn

Cathryn was born in 1963 at Riverton SA. She began shearing in 1982 and became a trailblazer for women shearers. She travelled widely shearing Australia and New Zealand. Cathy became very involved in competitions and convened the Millicent event for 15 years while competing throughout Australia in open class events against the men and made many finals. At the opening of the National Wool Centre in Geelong in 1988 she shore before the Queen and presented her with a lock of wool. At the World Championships in Ireland in 1998 she won the ladies invitation event. Cathy retired from shearing in 2004 when she brought the Quilpie Bakery in Queensland.

George Daniel Cooper

George was a quiet unassuming indigenous man from Moree NSW. He became an outstanding shearer and also attained distinction as a weightlifter and as an axe man. He achieved a world record of 316 sheep at ‘Bundoran Station’ in North Queensland in 1910. In 1911 he defeated South Australia Bill Day in a competition billed as the World Championship in Sydney. He also shore in the New England and Monaro in NSW. During 1918 he was recruited to shear in WA where he became one of their outstanding shearers. Born in 1882 he died in 1943 at his home South Perth WA.

Raymond John Anderson

Ray was born in 1936 in Goulburn NSW and shore in the Crookwell district for 45 years before he ‘retired’ and became a contractor in the same area. He was a tough determined and highly skilled shearer who was a member of the Australian Team to New Zealand in 1980 and also represented Australia a Denver Colorado on three occasions. Always focused on quality shearing, Ray spent much time mentoring young shearers. He won over 200 competitions during his career including eight successive Open events and the 1980 Australian strong wool. He was a life member of the Shearing Competition Federation of Australia and an active of the Australia Workers Union. Ray was a wonderful family man who died in 2016.

Leonard Gene Mills

Gene was born in 1954 at Crookwell and now lives at Young NSW. He shears mainly in central NSW and is noted as a fast clean shearer. He has top tally of 450 in lambs and competed in over 300 amount pf Open class competitions with great success. Gene’s competition record includes five-time winner of the Canberra shearer of the year, Australia Open twice and the Australian strong wool twice. He also won the Longreach Diamond Shears 1992. Gene was a member of the National Stock Show in Denver Colorado which he won. He is the only 2022 Inductee currently still shearing and is always ready to lend a helping hand to the up and coming generation.

Bernard Kennedy Walker OAM

Bernie was born in Euroa in 1939 and grew up on the family farm. He began shearing aged 16 and became noted as an exceptionally clean shearer. He is proud of the fact he never shore anywhere he couldn’t return if he wished. He was not a big tally shearer or into competitions. Through Apex he became Chairman of the group which introduced the first open time event to Australia. This led directly to the establishment of Golden Shears Australia and the bi-annual Test Matches between Australia and New Zealand creating the opportunity for Australian shearers to compete world-wide representing their country. He was awarded an OAM for his contribution to the industry and is a Life Member of Euroa Apex and the Golden Shears World Council.

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Brian Morrison

Brian Morrison grew up in Longwood where he learnt to shear and play football well enough to play for Richmond in the VFL, a career he gave up to go shearing at Longreach. He won the Australian Open shearing title twice. Brian and his wife Judy began a shearing contract business before opening ‘The Wool Bin’, a shearing supplies business in Euroa in 1973 which developed into ‘Morrisons of Euroa’, a high quality country style clothing business. In 1972, Brian claimed a world record for shearing 410 merino weaners in the RSL Hall in Euroa.

John William Harris

Bill Harris was known far and wide as ‘Taggerty Bill’ to distinguish him from a cousin of the same name. He lived at Taggerty on the Acheron River for some years after he married Edna Parker. He was born in Mansfield in 1913 and tragically lost his father at an early age. He grew up at Merton before pursuing a 65 year career in the shearing industry. Bill loved his horses and while at Merton trained, rode and won the Merton Cup in 1940 and 1941. A non-drinker and non-smoker Bill Harris was a credit to the industry. His commitment to making any young shearer a better shearer was to make it easier for them. This great old shearer passed away in February 1997 in Euroa.

Denis Ryan

Denis Ryan (not related to fellow Inductee David Ryan) was born in Sydney in 1930. Drawing on his experiences, Denis was aware of the needs of the expedition shearers roaming Australia and New Zealand. He and his wife Fay pioneered the ‘Shearmaster’ brand and Milro Mail Order Co to address these needs. This business also enabled Denis to stay in touch with the shearing community. Once the Mecca of shearers, Milro closed its doors in 2014 after 58 years. It is a little known fact their iconic ‘Shearmaster’ clothing was part of the wardrobe of the film ‘Crocodile Dundee’.

David Ryan

David (Daffy) Ryan was raised at Balmoral, Victoria, and began shearing aged 16. He travelled all over Australia shearing, always learning by watching the best shearers. He soon established himself as one of the fastest shearers in Australia and proved it when he shore 466 six month old merino lambs in August 1978. The following year he pushed the tally up to 501 using narrow gear. In September 1994 he reclaimed the record when he shore 625 merino lambs. David’s shearing career was interrupted by two years National Service which included a year in Vietnam. He was a regular competitor at Golden Shears at Euroa. Today he and his wife Regina live at Wongaling Beach, Far North Queensland.

David Lawrence

David Lawrence was raised on the family farm at Southern Brook east of Northam, Western Australia. He is one of six brothers who all became shearers, and it was a proud moment, when all six shore together at the 1989 Perth Royal Show. David began shearing in 1975 under the watchful eyes of his brothers. Since then he has shorn in all areas of the State, and travelled to shear in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania many times as well as a few short seasons in New Zealand. David has enjoyed a good deal of success in competitions and has represented Australia six times in Trans-Tasman teams.

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John Graeme Beveridge Tyers

Graeme Tyers (deceased) will join fellow West Australian Ron Niven, Maurie Doyle and Kevin Gellatly in the Hall of Fame. He was born in Kojonup and from age of 14 did the northern run on the shearing trucks for the next 18 years. He shore a session in New Zealand in 1956-57. In 1968 he joined the Australian Wool Corporation and was Senior Shearing Instructor for 22 years. Graeme travelled throughout Australia as a shearing instructor and is remembered with great respect by all who knew or worked with him.

John James Conlan

John Conlan from Kyneton will join his brother former World Champion Mark (deceased) in the Hall of Fame. This will be unique occasion as it is the first time two brothers have been inducted. John has been involved in many aspects of the industry for over 48 years and continues to be today. John also formed the ‘Shearwool’ company which specializes in the development and marketing of a proven line of woollen clothing for the shearers and he woolhandlers.

Peter Robert John Kelly

Peter Kelly (deceased) from Mt. Bute near Ballarat. He won the Australian Championships three times and some 70 other competitions. He was the member of the Australian Shearing Team in 1963 and 1978. Peter had his own farm where he ran approximately 2000 Corriedale sheep.

Robert Henry Cuttler

Robert ‘Bob’ from Geelong will be inducted posthumously. He shore for 56 years with a best day of 292 ewes at ‘Maryvale Station’ in South Australia. Bob was granted Life Membership of the AWU for his service to the shearing industry during which he shore in excess of 1,000,000 sheep using only the narrow gear. Bob was one of the old expedition shearers who could be away from home for many months at a time

Ronald Anzac James Bowden

Ron ‘Tolly’ Bowden, a widely known shearing contractor from Longreach. He is a legendary figure in the shearing industry of the Central West Queensland where he has been shearing and contracting from his Longreach base for over 50 years. He has shorn a top tally of 326 with the narrow gear and was one of the initiators of the famous Diamond Shears.