TWO high-profile industry experts supplied by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) judged Yilgarn Agricultural Show's wool section at Southern Cross this year thanks to a chance meeting.
One was respected NSW show-circuit judge, wool trader and Ausfine Wool Company director Scott Carmody.
The other was AWI director, Australian Wool Testing Authority director, head of a WA farming company and chairman of Mid West iron ore prospector Athena Resources, David Webster.
They flew from Sydney to Perth and drove out to Southern Cross to judge on Friday, September 2, the day before the annual show, after wool section organiser George Irving contacted AWI.
Mr Webster squeezed the Yilgarn Show visit into a busy schedule that included flying out to Milan, Italy, the following day for the start of a European tour promoting Australian Merino wool.
After helping Mr Carmody judge 85 fleeces, entered in 16 classes by 10 Yilgarn woolgrowers, Mr Webster attended the Trevino Poll Merino stud on-property ram sale at Southern Cross and spoke on AWI's behalf about wool industry prospects.
He also addressed a Yilgarn Agricultural Society life members' dinner that evening.
Mr Irving said getting two top AWI wool judges to a WA regional show stemmed from a chance meeting with Mr Webster at a wool function earlier in the year.
"I ran into David and told him about the season we were having and how we always had a good competition and were expecting some good fleeces at our little show this year," Mr Irving said.
"He seemed really keen, so later on I rang (AWI) head office in Sydney and talked to them and they agreed to supply some judges," he said.
"I was really pleased to have AWI support us like that.
"The judges were both very impressed with the number of entries and the high standard of the entries.
"Scott judges all the big NSW shows, and he said at least half of the fleeces he judged at our show would hold their own at any wool show anywhere in Australia.
"He and David were very good, they wrote comments with some of the fleeces to help the woolgrowers with their presentation.
"They also commented that they were a bit surprised on the drive out from Perth by how few sheep they saw until they got to Yilgarn.
"We've still got quite a lot of sheep out here, the farmers have hung on to them, unlike in some other areas."
Yilgarn Show wool section only accepts entries from farmers in the shire.
The two top fleeces were won by father-and-son entries.
The winning fleece, with the highest points, was from the R & J Panizza partnership of father Bob and son James, Marvel Loch.
Second-placed fleece was from Sanman Nominees, Robert and Tony Dal Busco, Southern Cross.
A first-time entry from the Birtles family, Ray and Lucy and their children Rhonda and Claire, Bodallin, won Champion Ewe Fleece.
Mal Gill
Wool and dairy writer for Farm Weekly.
Wool and dairy writer for Farm Weekly.
