Wheatbelt wool classer inspires next generation in ag

"I'm never doing that again," the unimpressed youngster told her dad Paul, affectionately known as Bakes, after a second attempt resulted in a kick to the face.

Unsurprisingly, Ms Baker was back in the wool shed only a couple of days later - and she hasn't looked back since.

Now the humble 20-year-old from Toodyay works as a lead wool classer in sheds across the Wheatbelt, and is paving the way for the next generation in agriculture.

In stark contrast to the comment she made all those years ago, Ms Baker said she wanted to stay in the industry all of her life.

Those fortunate enough to cross paths with the go-getter would be quick to realise the truth in what she says.

Her grit, can-do attitude and positive outlook on life provides reassurance that the future of agriculture is in good hands.

A love for the sheep and wool industry has passed through generations of the Baker family.

As a country kid from Perenjori and the daughter of a shearer, you could say Ms Baker more or less grew up in shearing sheds.

Some of her earliest memories involve waiting for her dad to come home, after a long day at work.

That was not only to see him, but to ask about his day and help him prepare for the next one.

"Dad would have to grind and wash up the tools, including his combs and cutters, that he used while shearing," Ms Baker said.

"I was always keen to give him a hand with those jobs."

Mr Baker added, "even when Tameka was nine-years-old, she would help out in the sheds on school holidays and weekends any chance she got".

"When wool handlers and contractors couldn't get anyone, she and her brother Mitchel would step in," he said.

"They were so keen, they would wake up for work even before I did.

"They'd pick up about 600-700 lamb fleeces in a day and get paid in cash."

In 2011, the Baker family moved to Toodyay, where Mr Baker, who has been a shearer for more than four decades, chased seasonal work.

"It rained for the first three weeks and I only worked one day in that time," Mr Baker said.

"I thought, 'what the heck am I doing here?', then it went bang and I haven't stopped since."

With her heart set on following in his footsteps, Ms Baker continued to spend any chance she could in the shearing shed and shore her first sheep aged just 11.

"I'd help sweep the wool, pick up the bellies and drag the sheep," she said.

"Then one day, dad's team said 'if you can drag a sheep that quickly you can learn how to shear'.

"So I did, and I shore my first 100 sheep about three years later."

Given Ms Baker would try and ditch school to work in sheds, it made sense that she attended WA College of Agriculture - Cunderdin.

Sure enough, her favourite classes involved shearing and wool classing, only making her more determined to follow her chosen career path.

Wasting no time, she received her wool classing ticket as soon as she turned 18.

And, apart from a 12-month stint in sheep production, she has stuck to full-time classing since.

"As soon as I graduated I was working in the sheds," Ms Baker said.

"I did have an experience where I didn't feel valued in a team and started to question what I was doing.

"So I worked on a farm, specialising in the sheep production side of things.

"The only problem was I wasn't in the sheds as much and started to really miss it, so I gave that job up and went back to wool handling."

Ms Baker now lives in Wyalkatchem, with her partner Gavin Garner and works for a Dowerin-based shearing contractor, Anthony Wray.

As the lead wool classer, she is in charge of quality control, classing individual fleeces into lines ready for the next stage in the wool process and avoiding contamination in the wool clip.

It is a big job, but integral to success for wool production and often the last opportunity for a hands-on look at the fleece.

Occasionally, she will also step in and shear on the hour because she wants to keep her skills in check.

"As the lead wool classer, I am responsible for the shearers, supervising the shed and every fleece and piece of wool that is baled up," Ms Baker said.

"Then my stencil is put on that bale, which basically says I've overseen and prepared what's contained inside and it has all been done to the Australian Wool Exchange code of practice.

"That's so the farmer can sell his wool and hopefully get the best price possible at the time.

"It is a lot of responsibility compared to a roustabout, but I think it earns you a lot of respect in the shed, as well as being a part of the team to make the whole process come together.

"Seeing my name on that bale definitely gives me a sense of pride, knowing that is something I have accomplished."

When asked what she loves most about working in the shearing shed, Ms Baker said, the atmosphere.

She said while the job was laid-back in some ways, it was also hard work and very rewarding.

"At the end of the day it is hot and you've been run off your feet, but you can sit back and look at what you've achieved,'' she said.

"You know you've done your best and you're proud of that."

Every week Ms Baker flicks through Farm Weekly to read what her clips went for in the wool section.

She said the pricing was a reflection of whether or not she did a good enough job.

"The farmer might have grown that wool for 12 months or so, and over that time they put in a lot of hard work to produce it," Ms Baker said.

"Then you are the be all and end all, in the shed, classing wool and operating the shearing shed, that's all under your control.

"It is about trying to better myself everyday, so I can get the best profit for the farmer and his wool."

Meanwhile, for Mr Baker, it is the mateship and meeting different people that kept him in the shearing industry for this long.

Having turned 55 this year, he plans on sticking it out until he is at least 70.

And it appears that not even a cancer diagnosis could stop him from achieving that.

"I was diagnosed with viral cancer last year, after a small lump was found in the side of my neck," he said.

"I had to take four months off and my head was starting to go places that it shouldn't have.

"I came out of treatment on January 6, about February 15 I was back shearing in the sheds.

"I'm all clear now, but when they operated on me they had to take all of the muscle out of my neck.

"So I have had to adjust how I shear, because my shoulders have dropped down.

"I still shear 130-140 a day, everyday of the week, seven days a week."

While Ms Baker loves what she does, it is not to say she hasn't faced any challenges in her career, particularly around age and gender in a male-dominated industry.

This has only made her more determined to smash stereotypes and show those who question her, what she is capable of.

"Some people think that because I'm younger, I don't know anything, when in fact I've been involved since I was a kid," Ms Baker said.

"If you stand your ground and have confidence they will respect you.

"You have to stand up for yourself, because at the end of the day, it is your work and you are putting your name on that stencil and that wool clip."

Despite only being in the early stages of her career, Ms Baker has already represented WA at the National Shearing and Wool Handling Championships last year in Bendigo, where she finished fifth in Australia, and this year in Jamestown, South Australia.

She was also a finalist in the 2023 Royal Agricultural Society of WA Rural Ambassadors Award, where she represented the Toodyay Agricultural Society for the Central region, has received accolades in senior competitions in the WA Shearing and Wool handling Competition Association circuit, judged fleeces at agricultural shows and worked hard to bridge the city-country gap by educating people in the wool industry.

Ms Baker said one of the biggest misconceptions about the wool industry was that sheep were mistreated in shearing sheds.

She said this was most definitely not the case, as farmers take a lot of pride in their livestock.

"They have to treat them with respect and give them what they want and need, so they have a good product," Ms Baker said.

"I think people need to see it for themselves before they make judgement, and we should encourage them to come into the sheds to do that.

"What is shown on animal activist websites is far from the truth - they put a bad label on sheep, shearing and farming when they haven't experienced it themselves.

"People are sceptical because sheep can get nicked while shearing, but the truth is if we leave the wool on it does more damage, particularly if they aren't mulesed.

"They could get faeces on their wool, which attracts maggots and flies, and sees them eaten alive.

"What would they rather?

"Give a sheep a haircut, so they are all nice and fresh, or the latter?"

Now, as well as having her eye on the supreme clip of the sale, Ms Baker hopes to expose more people to the sheep, wool and shearing industry and encourage others to work in the sheds.

She wants to do this from a young age by visiting primary, high schools and other education centres.

"I think the biggest thing is people haven't been exposed to it," Ms Baker said.

"I want to get into schools, teach students and adults the basics of what we learn in the sheds, and invite them to have a go, then if they want to further that knowledge they can.

"It is about bridging that gap."

Ms Baker also encouraged contractors to give learners a chance to prove themselves and pick up the skills needed.

"Obviously it is going to take time for new people in the industry to learn," she said.

"But the more you do something in the shed, the easier it will come to you and the better you will get at it.

"I've always told people quality is better over quantity, particularly if you want to build up a reputation.

"I know the lifestyle isn't for everyone, you're awake before the sun comes up, you work all day and come home in the dark.

"However, I wouldn't change it for the world."

And Mr Baker couldn't be prouder.

"I'm proud as punch of what Tameka has achieved in life," he said.

"I couldn't be happier and I know she has a good future in front of her.

"As soon as she has her mind set on something, she will do it."