The Australian Sheep and Wool Show took place in Bendigo over the  weekend of July 20. It is the largest event of its type in the world showcasing  the mighty Australian sheep.  

Over three days, thousands of people braved chilly weather to experience what the  industry has to offer from food, fashion and fibre to everything in between.

Spread  across the Bendigo Showgrounds, visitors could watch sheep dog trials, weaving and  yarn spinning displays, fleece judging and sample a diverse range of arts and lifestyle  inspired by the wool industry.  

The event attracts craftspeople from everywhere including Ian McColl of OxArt  Pottery, Taradale. Ian or ‘Ox’ to his friends has made objects out of clay for as long as  he can remember and once shown how to use the pottery wheel he was hooked on a  lifelong journey.  

OxArt produces a wide variety of pottery products designed to be used on a daily  basis including mugs, plates, platters, teapots and yarn bowls.  

Popular with weavers everywhere, yarn bowls are, for the benefit of the ignorant,  soup bowl sized vessels with a curl cut into the side. The weaver’s yarn, placed inside,  is drawn through the slot smoothly and evenly.  

I guess you could put a lid on it too which would prevent cats from upsetting  things. But do weaving folk even let cats get near their work? Perhaps that’s a story for  another time.  

“The yarn bowls we have at this stand,” says Ian “were derived from a specific  request we got a good few years ago at a market. Someone asked if we made yarn  bowls.

“I said ‘I didn’t know’ because I didn’t know what they were, but from then on  I’ve been making a lot of them. That’s how I came to be taking part in this event. A  friend and fellow stall holder suggested that it would be really good for us to come  along because of our wool bowls.”

Together with his partner Leanne, Ian has been based in Taradale for the past four  years where they have a large studio, workshop and gallery. Originally a roadhouse  on the old Calder Highway, the couple have transformed the site into a nexus of  creativity.

“We were looking for a place somewhere around Central Victoria where we could  run a studio. We went past it and thought we should probably have a look at that  one. Three days later we bought it.  

“We’ve got three big electric kilns and a big gas kiln plus all of the equipment that  you need to run a proper gallery space and workshop. Besides our own work we have  a base for a variety of pottery classes and small school group workshops which we run  on a regular basis.”  

In recent years it would seem that there has been an enormous growth in the  popularity of handmade and unique craft objects including functional ceramics.

In  response, small businesses have emerged all over Victoria that specialise in creating  handmade bespoke items from clothing to homewares.

Events such as The Lost Trades Fair and the Australian Sheep and Wool Show  have shown great support for this growth and proven to be enormously popular  as people look to alternatives to cheap mass-produced product.

And Ian, who has  worked in the industry long enough to have seen its highs and lows, agrees.

“We’re really finding that people are wanting a connection to handmade, to hear  the story of how and where something is from. With my work people love to learn  about clay, what the glazes are and people are simply wanting to use hand-thrown  pottery again. It’s really lovely.”

Words & images: Tony Sawrey  

Glenlyon mum Claire Clifton could not be prouder of her son Jonathan Smith who took out first place in the Northern Shears Senior Competition at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo last weekend.

Jonathon, who plaits his substantial beard so he can see the sheep and stop them chewing on it while being shorn, also placed third in the Sports Shear Victorian State Final Senior Competition.

Claire said shearers were judged on speed and technique as well as gaining penalties for second cuts – short pieces of wool left on sheep to be shorn off – and any cuts on the sheep. The lowest point score wins.

“As an industry, farmers want as much wool staple as they can in the best possible quality to get best prices. Therefore, shearers need to be clean and accurate and with often many thousand sheep to get through, time is of the essence.”

Claire said Jonathon, who lives in Inverleigh with his wife and two children after growing up in Freshwater Creek, has had a lifelong passion for shearing, working mainly in the southern and central districts of Victoria with occasional sheds further north.

“Like many shearers, he continues to battle back injuries and after several nerve block procedures, is preparing for surgery in the coming months. Of course, he is adamant to fit in the surgery around his shearing competitions and shed work.”

Jonathon’s next major competition will be Royal Geelong Show in October.

Main image: Claire Clifton