SHEARING schools are set to continue at Rylington Park, Mayanup, into the future, beyond the current arrangement for this financial year with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).
Boyup Brook Shire councillors two weeks ago voted unanimously to authorise chief executive officer Dale Putland "to enter into arrangements with AWI to ensure that shearing schools will continue to be run at Rylington Park in future years".
As reported recently in Farm Weekly, AWI has engaged gun competition shearers Damien Boyle and Luke Harding to assist regular AWI shearer trainer Paul 'Pope' Hick to run eight, free, week-long schools for learner and novice shearers at Rylington Park this financial year.
Four of the schools will be held this year, with the first starting on October 4 and the remaining four will be scheduled before June 30 next year.
Until the announcement of the shearing school schedule for the current year and the council's decision last week to seek continuing schools into the future, Rylington Park's ability to host shearing schools had been in doubt.
Since the council last year declined to renew a lease of the 650 hectare farm - bequeathed to the shire in 1985 for agricultural training and research purposes by innovative local farmer and Royal Agricultural Society of WA hall of famer Eric Farley - to a community management committee incorporated in 1987, all future uses of Rylington Park were in doubt.
Some councillors had said they believed Rylington's farming operation could be used to generate revenue for other shire facility developments, such as a new sports precinct in the Boyup Brook township.
Some submissions the council received earlier this year when it sought community views on Rylington Park, also proposed alternate activities like community groups being allowed to grow crops for fund-raising there.
Previous Rylington Park management committee members and supporters of Mr Farley's original bequeath intentions were concerned allowing areas of the farm to be used for fund raising by the community or the council would impact on the ability of farm managers Marc and Erlanda Deas, to continue to maintain and feed a 2500 head Merino flock which provides sheep for learners and novices to shear during shearing schools run over the past 30 years in Rylington Park's six-stand shed.
Pasture trials conducted by CSBP and other organisations for the past 10 years at Rylington Park may also have been in jeopardy, according to supporters of Mr Farley's bequest intentions.
Last Thursday the council abolished a Rylington Park transitional committee - formed last year after the lease to the previous management committee expired - and determined to consult the previous management committee and community to develop a charter for Rylington Park.
It also authorised Mr Putland to begin negotiations with Edith Cowan University (ECU) and other education and research institutions that may be interested, to develop a memorandum of understanding or partnership agreement for research and training at Rylington Park.
However, the council stressed that any arrangements with external partners such as ECU should include provisions for Rylington Park to continue hosting events and field days.
In March Rylington Park hosted its 10th annual Storm in a Teacup ladies day organised by Ms Deas and it will hold its annual farm field day on Friday, September 17.
Later Mr Putland said councillors were very supportive of the shearing schools continuing at Rylington Park and hoped that it could, with State government support, be developed as a training ground for shearers and wool handlers across the Great Southern which has higher sheep numbers than anywhere else in WA.
He said ECU, which does not have access to a farm property, had expressed interest in conducting research and trials at Rylington Park, including in relation to supply chain security and new technology in agriculture.
It was looking to install geo-sensors in each paddock to create a remote monitoring network, he said.
Mr Putland said the activities ECU was interested in conducting at Rylington Park were compatible and complementary to existing farming operations there.
"In developing a relationship with ECU, we are looking at one of the original institutions involved in setting up Rylington Park, coming back in," he said.
In a report to the council meeting outlining the history of Rylington Park, Mr Putland pointed out the Bunbury Institute of Advanced Education and South West Development Corporation (SWDC) had been original backers of Mr Farley's bequest and had attempted in 1986 to set Rylington Park up as an agricultural college.
Between them, the Bunbury institute and SWDC attracted State government funding for 3200 sheep, machinery and a farm manager's wages, although the plan for an agricultural college eventually fell through, his report said.
Bunbury institute was now ECU's South West campus, Mr Putland pointed out.
