Local shearing and woolhandling stars from Nhill and surrounding districts shone bright at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show held in Bendigo over the weekend, clinching top honours in several categories at the Victorian State Titles. This achievement followed their successful qualifying performances throughout the 2022/23 Victorian circuit.
Josh Bone made a triumphant return, securing first place in the Open Shearing State Title for the second year running. The Woolhandling side also witnessed thrilling victories, with Kirsty Pollock clinching the Open Woolhandling title and Sigourney Williams securing the top spot in the Novice category. Other noteworthy performances include Kristy Woodhead’s second place in Novice Woolhandling, Jack King’s victory in Intermediate Shearing, and Doltan Austin’s debut win in Senior Shearing.
Unfortunately, Brandon Bone’s third place in Senior Shearing precludes his representation at the state level, despite his impressive victory at the Senior National Title in 2022.
Senior shearing champion, Dalton Austin, expressed his excitement over his maiden victory. “I qualified sixth in the open and first in the senior heats on Saturday, eventually securing the fourth position in the final. Sunday saw me qualifying first with a comfortable 13-point lead over the runner-up,” he said.
Dalton graciously acknowledged his fellow competitor, Phillip Edwards, who finished second in Open Shearing. He added, “Phillip was instrumental in my success, guiding me through the process. Phillip, alongside Josh Bone and Jake Sullivan, will represent Victoria at the national championships in Jamestown in October.”
The event marked a significant milestone with Josh Bone and Kirsty Pollock making history as the first brother-sister pair to win the Open State finals for Victoria.
“It’s a dream come true winning a state title,” Kirsty Pollock admitted, adding that the fierce competition in Victoria made the victory all the more sweet. “I look forward to competing in the teams event at nationals with my best mate Marlene Whittle, who finished second in Open Woolhandling.”
Kirsty also expressed her pride in mentoring newcomers Kristy and Scoot. “The ultimate dream would be to make the Australian Team with Josh and Marlene. However, we must concentrate on our performance and not the end result. We can’t control the results, only our performance,” she added.
The victorious Nhill shearers and woolhandlers, including Josh, Jack, Doltan, Kirsty, Kristy, and Sigourney, will now represent Victoria at the Nationals to be held in Jamestown, South Australia, in October. C’mon Victoria!
This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 19 July 2023.
