There must be something in the name.
Ethan Gellatly and Ethan Harder are Western Australia’s first Wool Harvesting Ambassadors.
As well as sharing a name, they share a passion for being in the sheds, having grown up with a love of hard work and family connections to the shearing industry.
The title, awarded at last year’s Perth Royal Show, is a 12-month position, meaning the young gun shearers will hand over the baton in September.
“You can make a good job out of [shearing], it’s not just all about drinking” 24-year-old Mr Harder said.
“You know, there’s a lot of athletes coming into the industry now and people taking the job very seriously.”
Mr Gellatly is also working to promote this message when speaking to the next generation of shearers.
A part of their role is to travel to various agricultural colleges, events and training schools.
“The stigma is all you do is drink, stay up late, go to work, and just repeat that. You’re not going to get anywhere turning up to work drunk or hungover,” he said.
“You have to put the work in, that’s what I am trying to promote to young people coming in.”
World record holder
Mr Harder began shearing at seven years old.
He grew up in Bruce Rock where his father instilled in him the “old school ways” of hard work.
“I didn’t go to school when I was a kid. I got homeschooled. I pretty much grew up in the shed,” Mr Harder said.
“I’ve been shearing full time for 15 years now, started for my old man. I learnt a lot of life skills out of the [shed], working in a team and financial management.”
He is a world record holder, setting the pace for shearing 624 merino lambs in eight hours.
He recently returned from Golden Shears, the world’s premier shearing and wool handling championship held at New Zealand’s North Island.
To even compete in Golden Shears is seen as the pinnacle of a shearer’s career.
“I got to the top 30 in the open grade. That’s always been a dream for me to go there.”
A golden opportunity
Mr Gellatly also travelled across the ditch to the Golden Shears.
The 20-year-old has also been shearing from a young age and was excited to be named the ambassador this year to follow in his uncles’ footsteps, who is an AWI trainer.
He said despite being a role model for young up-and-coming shearers, he was still learning.
“Being at [Golden Shears], I learned how to shear a crossbred sheep,” he said.
“For anyone that doesn’t know, in WA we shear mainly merinos, they’re a lot finer wool, a lot denser and have wrinkles. It’s a lot different to shearing [crossbred]. They have tough skin. You’ve got to learn how to hold on to it.”
Mr Gellatly said as an ambassador he wanted to promote the industry to younger shearers.
“The earlier generations, they just did it tough and learnt by themselves. They didn’t have anyone helping them. I’ve had the training to look after my body” he said.
Industry backing
The Shearing Ambassador program is an initiative from the Australian Wool Innovation to attract and retain shearers to the sheds.
WA WoolTAG, WA Shearing Industry Association and Westcoast Wool also play a role.
AWI Director Neil Jackson was at the Wagin Woolarama to watch both Ethans in the open shears competition.
“It’s rewarding to see the fruits of our labour here” Mr Jackson said.
“We are all involved in the fibre industry. Without shearers, we don’t get [wool] harvested, we don’t get it to sale, we don’t see it in our retail store. It’s vital.”
“They are spreading the word that shearing is a career that has longevity.”
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