topic Shearer shortage in Community Spirit

Shearer shortage

davidc4430 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:10:41 GMT

Shearer shortage due to COVID restrictions sparks 'unofficial auction' for workers

https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2021-01-14/covid-19-shearing-shortage-australia-industry-crisis/13054904

Re: Shearer shortage

chameleon54 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:53:21 GMT

There's definitely a shearer shortage. It has been exacerbated by COVID restrictions on travel, but it was always going to be a problem anyway. It gets back to davids other thread on fruit picking.

Shearing IS very hard work and definitely not a job for the faint hearted or those unfamiliar with rural living. There are very few people who want to do hard, physical work now, regardless of the salary. A good shearer can easily make $3000 a week.

I did ten years of shearing when I left school and treated it as a well paid gym work out. Like most young shearers I was in prime, muscle bound physical condition and earned a huge salary for a lad. I could afford a new car and saved enough money to make a down payment on my first farm. Shearing is also very social as you travel around with work mates and friends and most farmers where very hospitable. The bigger sheds would often throw a " cut out " party at the end of the shed with wives and girlfriends coming along for a BBQ and drinks.

One place had a huge tree lined dam where we would catch fish to be cooked on the evening BBQ and tow each other around in truck tubes behind a dinghy.

Shearing also allowed me to travel to other regions, working in some of the bigger sheds with contractors. One contractor would take us drag net fishing on the first night we arrived. We would catch a bunch of fish, buy a bag of spuds and enjoy fish and chips for the next week.

It was hard work with early starts and very physically demanding, but I really enjoyed the time and would not change a thing for quids.

Re: Shearer shortage

davidc4430 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 03:13:24 GMT

that story is from the ABC, you know that mob who tell lies and do 'puff pieces'

im thinking this is a lie and just puff too

Re: Shearer shortage

chameleon54 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:11:38 GMT

@davidc4430 wrote:
that story is from the ABC, you know that mob who tell lies and do 'puff pieces'
im thinking this is a lie and just puff too

Is that best you've got david ? Your fruit picking story didnt go the way you expected, so you thought you would do a bit of baiting. What a sad little man you are today.

Re: Shearer shortage

davewil1964 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:22:36 GMT

@davidc4430 wrote:
that story is from the ABC, you know that mob who tell lies and do 'puff pieces'
im thinking this is a lie and just puff too

You should know by now, David, that chamo supports the ABC when the reports align with his views. And they are leftie, pinko, latte-sipping city-dwellers when they don't.

Re: Shearer shortage

chameleon54 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:36:46 GMT

While I,m sure it wasn't his intention, davids offerings today have highlighted the Governments call for young people to consider a career in Agriculture are soundly based and deserve sensible consideration by young unemployed Australians.

As davids shearer shortage post highlights, there is plenty of work available in the regions and the wages are often much better than those available to unemployed youth in the cities.

Re: Shearer shortage

davewil1964 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 10:51:30 GMT

I'm prejudiced.

I'm not young, and manual labour when I was has led to the fact that I can't anymore.

Something never mentioned in all those ads about staying fit.

I used to run 50km minimum per week. Play squash at least 3 times a week.

I now have no knees. I'm not quite geriatric, depending on your definition.

Re: Shearer shortage

domino-710 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:00:56 GMT

Having read - for years - all the acres - all the exports - all the labour - bla bla bla - someone should have been able to retire - very comfortably 5 years ago.

Re: Shearer shortage

chameleon54 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:04:52 GMT

We are all getting older david and I know plenty of desk jockies who have health problems as they age.

There are plenty of older people who believe continuing physical work is keeping them fit and young at heart. This includes my local stock transport operator. The main business is run by a son in his 50,s but the father who is in his early 80's still does regular runs in the truck to the markets etc. This is a 400 km. round trip and with loading time is a good 8 hour day.

While the son is on holidays, the old man does the lot.

I had an accident in my early thirties and was told it would be best if I never worked again. I burst two discs in my back and had a third protruding. While I was offered the disability pension I continued to work and plan to continue until my mid sixties. I believe the work has kept me mobile and led to much more interesting life than I would have had on the pension.

@dom, yes I could sell up and retire, but I actually enjoy working. Its not just work, its a healthy lifestyle.

Re: Shearer shortage

rogevibe — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:12:44 GMT

NZ seems to be a traditional source of sheep shearers and they have no trans-tasman travel restrictions to my knowledge

Re: Shearer shortage

davewil1964 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:13:27 GMT

@chameleon54 wrote:
We are all getting older david and I know plenty of desk jockies who have health problems as they age.

There are plenty of older people who believe continuing physical work is keeping them fit and young at heart. This includes my local stock transport operator. The main business is run by a son in his 50,s but the father who is in his early 80's still does regular runs in the truck to the markets etc. This is a 400 km. round trip and with loading time is a good 8 hour day.

While the son is on holidays, the old man does the lot.

I had an accident in my early thirties and was told it would be best if I never worked again. I burst two discs in my back and had a third protruding. While I was offered the disability pension I continued to work and plan to continue until my mid sixties. I believe the work has kept me mobile and led to much more interesting life than I would have had on the pension.

@dom, yes I could sell up and retire, but I actually enjoy working. Its not just work, its a healthy lifestyle.

Your local stock transporter drives trucks. Until COVID I drove taxis. Neither require knees.

I would be interested in your miracle cure for worn out knees, though. Or a back held together with scar tissue where there used to be muscle.

Once again, YOUR particular circumstances aren't necessarily applicable to others.

Re: Shearer shortage

ambercat16 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:41:23 GMT

@rogevibe wrote:
NZ seems to be a traditional source of sheep shearers and they have no trans-tasman travel restrictions to my knowledge

Yes, there are restrictions. A NZ shearer is able to travel to Australia without any restrictions however when returning to NZ he/she would be required to quarantine in a managed facility at their own expense (currently $NZ 3100) for at least 14 days and must test negative before going into the community.

Re: Shearer shortage

davewil1964 — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 11:46:39 GMT

@ambercat16 wrote:
@rogevibe wrote:
NZ seems to be a traditional source of sheep shearers and they have no trans-tasman travel restrictions to my knowledge
Yes, there are restrictions. A NZ shearer is able to travel to Australia without any restrictions however when returning to NZ he/she would be required to quarantine in a managed facility at their own expense (currently $NZ 3100) for at least 14 days and must test negative before going into the community.

But if they're earning $3000 per week they can easily afford the quarantine. After all, it's only a week's wages and an extra 2 weeks until they see their family. Surely that isn't a sacrifice.

Re: Shearer shortage

rogevibe — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 23:04:57 GMT

@ambercat16 wrote:
@rogevibe wrote:
NZ seems to be a traditional source of sheep shearers and they have no trans-tasman travel restrictions to my knowledge
Yes, there are restrictions. A NZ shearer is able to travel to Australia without any restrictions however when returning to NZ he/she would be required to quarantine in a managed facility at their own expense (currently $NZ 3100) for at least 14 days and must test negative before going into the community.

Maybe upon a successful season that quarantine fee would picked up by a grateful farmer that has been enriched by their labours , tax deductable of course

Need not be flat rate but fee contibution based upon number of sheep shorn.

As an added incentive to ongoing enthusiasm and a token expression of thoughtful humanity, an expert shearer may also accumulate credits for a return air ticket

Re: Shearer shortage

chameleon54 — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 04:26:36 GMT

@davewil1964 wrote:
@chameleon54 wrote:
We are all getting older david and I know plenty of desk jockies who have health problems as they age.

There are plenty of older people who believe continuing physical work is keeping them fit and young at heart. This includes my local stock transport operator. The main business is run by a son in his 50,s but the father who is in his early 80's still does regular runs in the truck to the markets etc. This is a 400 km. round trip and with loading time is a good 8 hour day.

While the son is on holidays, the old man does the lot.

I had an accident in my early thirties and was told it would be best if I never worked again. I burst two discs in my back and had a third protruding. While I was offered the disability pension I continued to work and plan to continue until my mid sixties. I believe the work has kept me mobile and led to much more interesting life than I would have had on the pension.

@dom, yes I could sell up and retire, but I actually enjoy working. Its not just work, its a healthy lifestyle.
Your local stock transporter drives trucks. Until COVID I drove taxis. Neither require knees.

I would be interested in your miracle cure for worn out knees, though. Or a back held together with scar tissue where there used to be muscle.

Once again, YOUR particular circumstances aren't necessarily applicable to others.

You obviously dont know much about stock transport david. The driving is the easy bit, although changing truck gears constantly up and down hills with heavy truck clutches is not quite the same as your taxi driving.

The hard work comes from adjusting and operating heavy loading ramps, getting in the pen with the sheep or cattle and directing them up loading races, giving them a push if needed, all the while waiting for the obligatory kick back. Dodging the wild, charging stock that are in a hurry to get going. Man handling various gates and fold down decks. Climbing on all fours between decks to shut gates, climbing up the outside rails of the stock crate to check that stock are travelling OK etc. And thats just loading. Once at the market its time to do it all again, but in opposite configuration.

As for how to work with a back held together with scar tissue, I could tell you ( from 30 years experience ) , but I suspect you dont really want to know the truth. Your hearts just not in it david.

Heres a hint though..... There are basically two types of people in this world......... Those who ask, How can we make this work ? And those who ask, How can we stop this ?

Which group do you fall into david ?

Re: Shearer shortage

domino-710 — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 04:41:03 GMT