AS a woolgrower herself for 25 years, Elders' new district wool manager at Esperance, Michelle Pohlner, knows the level of professional service her clients expect.
Ms Pohlner moved to Esperance last month from Kangaroo Island, South Australia, and replaced Stuart Matthews as Elders' district wool manager there.
A qualified wool classer, she grew up on a sheep property on Kangaroo Island.
"I started working around (shearing) sheds from the age of 12 on the family farm," Ms Pohlner said while working at Elders' wool office in Bibra Lake to familiarise herself with its woolstores operations and the Western Wool Centre - her own wool is sold at the Melbourne wool centre.
"My mum used to go out and shed hand, so on holidays and for work experience I'd go out with her.
"I wasn't sure what I was going to do when I left school so I got my wool classing stencil to see where that took me.
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"I did that at Longerenong Agricultural College in Horsham in Victoria's Western District and I had obtained it by the time I was 18."
She started classing wool immediately on return to Kangaroo Island, but ended up working extensively around SA and Western New South Wales in shearing sheds.
She classed for legendary South Australian shearing contractor James 'Rags' Boylan - EP Shearing Contractors based in Wudinna - who had runs across the top of the Eyre Peninsula and up through western New South Wales into south-west Queensland.
"I did a couple of stints at Broken Hill, also Pooncarie between Broken hill and Wentworth and Lake Tandou and I went to Pack Saddle (north of Broken Hill)," Ms Pohler said.
She also worked for Nick Sampson in Ceduna and out west of Nundroo before returning to Kangaroo Island to farm.
For the past six years she has classed for Alan 'Spider' Evans, River Shearing, on Kangaroo Island.
"The biggest clip I've ever done is probably 315 bales, that was at a big 16-stand shearing shed on Kangaroo Island owned by the Thomas family," she said.
As Esperance district wool manager Rawlinna, the largest operating sheep station in the country which shears more than 60,000 sheep and produces some 1500 bales of wool annually, is part of her new bailiwick.
"I've heard about Rawlinna, I can't wait to go there," she said.
"I'm really excited about this opportunity (as district wool manager), I have a real passion for wool, being a grower for 25 years in a partnership on Kangaroo Island.
"We were dryland farming, we did a combination of crossbred lambs and Merino wool.
"I still have a financial interest in the farm and one of my two adult sons works there.
"I have a genuine interest in animal health and pastures, I also understand the background of family farming.
"I love Esperance, people are very friendly and so helpful and I'm embracing it and plan to be there long term."
Woolgrowers can contact Ms Pohlner on 0437 200 268 or send an email to michelle.pohlner@elders.com.au
