A DONATED bale of RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) registered wool raised $2426.06 last week to help support struggling rural families.
The 182 kilogram bale of 18.6 micron Merino fleece was snapped up local trader Swan Wool Processors, with wool buyer Phil Roberts bidding up to 1333 cents per kilogram greasy (2099c/kg clean) to claim it on Swan's behalf on the first trading day of the final live auction sale series for the year at the Western Wool Centre.
The single-bale lot 4 of the Westcoast Wool & Livestock catalogue was, as previously reported in Farm Weekly, donated by Tenterden woolgrower Murray Hall and sold under his Purpareena stencil, but with full sale proceeds going to the Michael Manion Wool Industry Foundation (MMWIF).
Appraised as AAAM, Mr Hall's donated fleece had test specifications of 72 millimetre staple length, 49N/kt staple strength with low 1 per cent vegetable matter contamination and a yield of 63.5pc.
But its RWS registration was also an attraction, according to Max Foley from Swan, who oversaw the purchase.
"This wool will be going to Europe," Mr Foley said.
"We (Swan Wool Processors) have really embraced the RWS scheme because a lot of our clients (fabric manufacturers and fashion houses) use it.
"We were happy to buy this lot and support the Michael Manion foundation obviously, because dad (Paul Foley) was a friend of Michael."
Mr Hall was one of the first WA woolgrowers to join the RWS program through Westcoast Wool & Livestock 12 months ago.
MMWIF's WA director, Endeavour Wool Exports' wool buyer Steve Noa, thanked Mr Hall for his donation.
"It has raised a total of $2426.06 for the foundation which is brilliant," Mr Noa said.
"We can't thank Murray Hall enough for his generous donation."
Mr Noa said the donation came at "just the right time" as MMWIF was looking to support the widow and young family of a shearer who had worked in WA but died recently in Victoria.
He said MMWIF had considered helping the widow meet her home mortgage commitments and buying Christmas presents.
"If any other woolgrowers are prepared to donate a bale to the foundation, then they should contact their wool broker," he said.
A registered charity, the MMWIF was established in 2015 in memory of Michael 'The Legg' Manion, a larger-than-life, gregarious wool buyer who had a great empathy for people and went out of his way to mentor young people entering the industry.
He died aged 61 in 2014 after a short battle with cancer.
Westcoast Wool & Livestock's RWS specialist, Justin Haydock, said there was growing enquiry about the program, particularly from woolgrowers who were moving towards ceasing mulesing, but were not there yet.
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