January 31st, 2025Quick go the shears…and those cheeky Undie 500 runners
Clunes Quick Shear promises a day of hot competition in more ways than one.
Staged at the town’s local showgrounds on Saturday, February 22, it draws gun shearers from across the state and much further afield, notably including Kiwi shearers who share a fair bit of healthy rivalry with the Aussies.
And then there’s the Undie 500.
“This year we’re introducing a few new things including a women’s-only shearing category and the females-only Undie 500,” says Jenny Redpath, treasurer of the Clunes and District Young Farmers who run the annual fundraising event.
“We’ve run the open Undie 500 for the past couple of years and we always get a few girls who enter but this year we thought we’d also give a females-only Undie 500 a crack as well, and put up the prize money for it.
“So get your good jocks on and if we can get at least 10 girls we’ll run it. It only costs $5 to enter.
“It’ll be the same course over the (showgrounds) oval covering 500 metres with a few obstacles thrown in like hay bales to get over, and you’ve got to skull a glass of water. It happens after the shearing sashes have been presented, on dusk.”
If that’s not enough to give you your fill of classic country entertainment for the day, there’ll also be a couple of live music acts set to hit the stage when the day’s competition is done and the winners’ spoils awarded.
“We’ve got Billy Menhennet who was on Australian Idol and then we’ve also got the band No Plans on after him,” Jenny says.
As to the (often blisteringly) quick shearing itself, competition categories include novice, intermediate and open divisions as well as this year’s newly added women’s and seniors’ (over 50s) divisions.
Shearers race each other against the clock and are also judged on shear cleanliness – with qualifying heats culminating in a three-sheep shear off.
“Because we’ve added a few new things we’ll be opening a bit earlier so we can get cracking,” Jenny says.
“We’ll be opening the gates from 11am and the shearing will get started from 12.
“The prize money is the main draw-card and the chance to win your section. The open section winner gets a perpetual trophy and the Bushy Hill Memorial Shield.”
Now in its ninth year, the Clunes Quick Shear regularly draws around 50 competing shearers including some noted top guns with last year’s reigning open category winner, Caleb Morgan, among those set to return again this year.
“His blistering winning time last year was 24.22 seconds…unbelievably fast. It’s pretty amazing watching them.”
Over the years it’s been running the Clunes Quick Shear has raised plenty of money for many good causes. Last year it raised $5873 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
This time the dollars raised will be going to benefit the region’s own Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute in Ballarat.
The event is family friendly with entertainment available for the kids and onsite catering including food, coffee and bar. It’s a gold coin donation to get in the gate.
Words: Eve Lamb | Image: Supplied
