Show's shearing spectacle - Surf Coast Times

THE ever-popular Shearing Show will be making its return to the long-running event, with more than 100 people slated to compete for top honours.

Shearers will be able to enter a wide range of categories in disciplines including sport shearing, speed shearing, blade shearing, wool handling and more.

Fourth generation shearer Gary Leerson will be one of the many competitors throwing his hat in the ring for a title.

The Colac local has amassed more than 25 wins during his career and said excitement for the event was already high among the country’s shearers.

“This will be my 30th year straight of competing in Geelong and it, being the competition, has been at the Geelong Show for much longer than that,” he said.

“My dad was a shearer, my grandfather was a shearer, my great-grandfather wasn’t but his brothers were – they were blade shearers back in the 1920s.

“What I love about it is the lifestyle. You can shear around the world every year if you really wanted to. You can go anywhere – Scotland, Ireland, Queensland, wherever you want.

“Every shed alters with who is in it. You’re working for all different people… Everyone in the industry are really good people, hard-working, competitive, positive people. If you’re not, you don’t make it as a shearer.”

Mr Leerson said each discipline of shearing will be scored on different criteria, with special consideration given to cleanliness and efficiency.

Lachlan Brown showing that shearing takes plenty of discipline, skill and hard work.

“We highly recommend people come down on the Friday night to be educated on how the judging for it will all work,” he said.

“Sport shearing will be judged on the whole sheep. You’re judged on second cuts, any wool left on, or if you do any cuts of the sheep – they will all result in penalties. You start on a zero score, and the lowest number of penalties will win.

“In the speed shearing, they’ll have the belly, the crotch, the head and the legs shorn out of them. They are cleaned up to make it a bit of a spectacle. It’s a big test – blokes shear in amazingly quick times of 20-30 seconds. They’ll be going flat out, but it still needs to be at good quality.

“You definitely want to be up there with time, but you’ve still got to really maintain that quality.”

Secure your tickets to the Royal Geelong Show at royalgeelongshow.org.au.

Early bird tickets are on sale until 15 October. Tickets start at $27 for adults, $13.50 for students and $63 for families.

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