Shearing is a fantastic opportunity to learn a skill for life.

Burgess Shearing Deniliquin has a full team including shearers, classers, pressers, and roustabouts who work throughout the Riverina region.

Led by Duncan Burgess and Kate Mackay, they know what you need in a shed, after coming up through the ranks.

“I’ve been shearing for ten years and working a bit longer in sheds,” Duncan said.

“When I was still in high school, both my brother and I got really keen on working on farms.

“So, we started rousting on school holidays. “That was my first experience and I got really keen on shearing from then on.

“After I finished Year 12, I got on a crew as a roustabout before moving to presser.

“I was given a learner’s stand eventually, which back then, it was harder to get a job, you had to fight for it.”

Duncan is not the only one with years of experience, with Kate being in the industry around the same amount of time.

Currently, Kate is the camp out cook and a roustabout, providing the team with five meals a day, while completing her accreditation as a wool classer.

“You have to do a certificate four in wool classing to become an accredited wool classer,” Duncan said.

“We are encouraging a couple of the rousies to start their course and have had people do traineeships in the past.

“We have trained up a lot of young staff, some of which are still with us, some have gone out on their own, working in other locations.

“It is really important to give everyone an opportunity and put back into the industry, especially in hard times like this when the workforce is really struggling.

“Training is just all the more important, because you can’t fill gaps with unskilled people.”

If someone is interested in becoming a shearer and learning the skills of the trade, Duncan is happy for you to give him a call.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for a young person to set themselves up for life, making a really good wage,” he said.

“You get to see a side of the country that you will never see as a tourist, and it can take you everywhere.”

To book the team at Burgess Shearing Deniliquin for your next shearing shed call Duncan Burgess on 0403 506 622.