2005

S1.E1 ∙ Shear Bliss

Mon, May 16, 2005

Episode One, Shear Bliss, introduces us to Robin Flood, who runs a highly competitive shearing school assisted by Robert 'Trooper' Triffit. Two of the students, Lisa Hansch and Collin Lawrence are both determined to make it as shearers. Each has personal hurdles to overcome. Collin, a woodcutter and former meat worker, has an anger management problem and Lisa has to learn to use technique to compensate for her lack of physical strength. She also has to contend with the hostility to female shearers in a male-dominated industry. The students are introduced to the basics of shearing and are immediately confronted with the physical and psychological demands of the trade. Collin gets angry when he loses control of a sheep and is threatened with expulsion. Lisa becomes ill and is unable to shear for a day. She is worried that this may jeopardize her chance of being selected for the next stage.

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S1.E2 ∙ Blood, Sweat and Shears

Mon, May 23, 2005

At the end of this week, only five of the 12 students at Robin Flood's shearing school will go on to stage two of the course - moving to Palmerston, where they will be paid for the sheep they shear. The students have to build up the fitness and skills required to go into a professional shed. Robin will be watching closely to see which students have the guts and determination to make it as shearers. To help the students improve their technique, he videos each of them shearing. After dinner they watch the video in the mess room. Robin's laconic, sporting-style commentary is a humorous relief from the rigors of the day's labor. Shearing is traditionally a male-dominated trade however recently this has begun to change, as reflected in the number of females in the course. Val Byers, Tasmania's top female shearer, visits the students and gives the women some tips and encouragement. As the week progresses, the top shearers begin to emerge. 18-year-old Jonathon Nichols is the best shearer but his boss won't give him any more time off work. 16-year-old Jamie Burns is keen to continue shearing, but Robin and Trooper think he should complete high school first. The end of the week is an anxious time for the students. If they are not selected to continue on the course, it will be much harder for them to break into the industry.

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