A Victorian woman has been recognised for her work in Australia's wool industry after she won a prestigious ambassador award at the recent Saint Arnaud Sport Shear.
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Megan Etherton from western Victoria was named the Fox Lillie Rural Woolhandling Ambassador as part of SCAA Shearer Woolhandler Training Inc's 2023-24 Victorian Ambassador team.
Shearing ambassador roles were also awarded to Jack King and Joseph Knoll.
Ms Etherton, 25, grew up on a small farm at Yanac in western Victoria and has worked on various farms across Victoria, starting her career at Luv A Duck in Nhill.
She went on to work for a horse trainer and in horse agistment before working at Woodlea in Kyneton.
It was at Woodlea where Ms Etherton discovered her love of the shearing sheds and started to roustabout with Roket Shearing, helping out whenever an extra hand was needed.
In April earlier this year, Ms Etherton moved to Bendigo to start a full-time position with Roket Shearing.
SCAA Shearer Woolhandler Training Inc's Ambassador Teams are selected each year out of 100 wool-handling students and 150 shearing students in Victoria, chosen for their work quality, team player attitude, willingness to learn, presentation and overall work ethic.
It is the second consecutive year Fox & Lillie Rural has sponsored the Victorian Woolhandling Ambassador role, as part of the company's ongoing support to promote training in the shearing sheds and showcase the various career opportunities in woolhandling and harvesting.
SCAA Shearer Woolhandler Training Inc executive officer Glenn Haynes said the ongoing sponsorship and support from Fox & Lillie Rural was valuable.
"We see the importance of industry collaboration from the grower right through to the processor to promote professionalism and quality, and we feel the ambassador program plays a fantastic part." he said.
The Ambassadors are mentored by trainers from SCAA Shearer Woolhandler Training Inc and provided with sponsorship support to compete at competitions such as Sport Shear and The Golden Shears in Masterton, New Zealand.
The Victorian program has been so successful that it has now been replicated in NSW, Tasmania, and WA.
