Wagin Woolorama: Top gun shearer Luke Harding wins Woolorama open title

Boyup Brook top gun shearer Luke Harding claimed the Wagin Woolorama open shearing title against stiff competition, shearing 10 sheep in 15 minutes and 35 seconds with the lowest number of penalty points — 17.10. Luke said the Woolorama shearing competition was close to his heart, having met his “beautiful wife” Jess at the event 18 years ago. “We were both attending Cunderdin Ag College and I was a novice shearer and Jess was a novice wool handler — it was love at first sight,” he said. The couple now have three children — Pippa, 3, Rowland, 6, and Cohan, 7 — and live an idyllic farming life in Boyup Brook. They’ve just finished shearing their own 1300 head of Beaufort Vale blood fine Merino sheep. Luke said the Woolorama win was his fourth, but this one meant something very special as it was part of this year’s comeback after he had a serious knee injury. “I had huge lows not being able to compete, and to get back to today’s form was something very special,” he said. “I thought I was off the pace, but I shore clean and won against a very competitive open class.” Jess also competed on a high level, taking third in the Open Wool Handling competition, with Darkan wool handler Lee Gray taking the win. Lee said she was raised in the shearing sheds where her father did his contracting business in New Zealand. “I’ve been in WA four years now and enjoy working with T&C Contracting in Darkan,” she said. Shearing MC Todd Wegner said the quality of the open shearing event was “one of the fastest” in memory, with three world record holders on the boards going for the title. After assisting with the judging of the event, Greg Drew said the competition attracted good numbers with 28 novice shearers, 16 intermediate, and 15 open shearers along with 22 wool handlers. Wool handling judge Rob Carter said the competition standard was “exceptional”, with a record number of novice competitors. Judge David Lawrence said it was one of the biggest shearing and wool handling shows Woolorama had put together in a long time. “The sheep were well presented, and the show was run very well,” he said. “Overall, there was spot-on 100 competitors — 62 shearers and 38 wool handlers.” PLACINGS Open Shear Final First: Luke Harding Second: Scott Mauger Third: Floyd Neil Fourth: Tom Reed Senior Shear Final First: Jesse Fletcher Second: Kim Turvey Sr Third: Nga Ratima Fourth: Darcy Paul Inter Shear Final First: Brock Morgan Second: Joseph Brown Third: Ethan Gellatly Fourth: Stacci Chisholm Novice Shear Final First: Cooper McCuish Second: Kim Turvey Third: Kayla De Villiers Fourth: Zarah Squiers Open Wool Final First: Lee Gray Second: Kelly Moir Third: Jess Harding Fourth: Aroha Garvin Senior Wool Final First: Emma Tombleson Second: Beth Moses Third: Mikayla Reihara Fourth: Natalie Waters Novice Wool Final First: Darcy King Second: Bella Goss Third: Abby Boyle Fourth: Tahlia Reichelt