A FRESH female face has joined predominantly older male buyers in the auction room at the Western Wool Centre (WWC).
Swan Wool Processors Pty Ltd’s administration assistant Georgie Foley, 20, last week sat at the back of the auction room among the buyers processing paperwork for the lines of wool the East Fremantle company was buying.
Georgie is the daughter of Swan Wool managing director Paul Foley and is learning the wool trade from her father.
At the weekly wool auctions it is her father or another buyer Phil Roberts sitting a row or two in front bidding on lots for Swan Wool and passing the paperwork back to her for processing.
Up until last week the only woman usually in the auction room during an auction was an Australian Wool Exchange clerk up the front.
Occasional a female clerk from one of the wool companies would come in to collect paperwork or very occasionally an auctioneer may have a woman assistant doing the pencilling.
After two days among the buyers Georgie said she had been made to feel most welcome.
“They (buyers) have all been very nice to me,” she said.
“I’ve started doing admin, but dad has said he’s going to teach me all aspects of the wool industry.”
