JOSH Talbot may have lost an arm, but that has not stopped him pursuing a career in shearing.
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The 28-year-old is a regular in Kangaroo Island shearing sheds, working as part of a shearing team based in Burra that heads to the Island about four times a year.
Earlier this month, he made another trip across to speak at the KI Shearing Hall of Fame 2019 induction lunch at the Parndana Hotel.
Josh lost his arm in a car accident driving home to Jamestown at age 16, not long after he received his P plates.
He started shearing at age 13 with his brother-in-law back in Jamestown, working in shearing sheds during school holidays and weekends.
Then his accident happened, but only two weeks after being back home, he picked up the handpiece and started having a go.
Even while he was still in hospital, his brother-in-law started trying to shear with one arm so he could help Josh get back into it.
His return to shearing is all the more remarkable given he used to be right-handed and he lost his right arm.
"I would have now shorn many more sheep with this arm than my old arm," he said. "You have your good days but I've had a lot of rough days.
"If you have it in your mind that you want to do it and you stick with it, then you are halfway there. I've had a lot of help from a lot of good people along the way."
Farmers and shearing crews have been blown away by his tenacity and abilities in the shed. The use of his legs is key to grip the sheep while it is being shorn.
Josh works full-time for TMT Shearing out of Burra and enjoys travelling across the state.
His most recent stint on KI was working for Ron Hams Jnr at his Warrawee farm at Seddon, where 5200 Merinos needed shearing.
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Mr Hams himself has a lifetime of experience with sheep and shearing across Australia, and even had a brief stint in the United States, and said he had never seen anything that compared to Josh's efforts. Experienced shearers such as John Vigar were amazed at what the young man could do with only one arm, he said.
"There's nobody like him anywhere that I know of and he is an amazing story," Mr Hams said. "He's got a huge, big heart and just wants to do it, where most people after an accident like that would just give up."
Josh said it had been a long, hard road back to shearing, and he could not have done it without the support of his family and colleagues. In particular, he paid tribute to his fellow Jamestown shearer Paka Mataha, who also works for TMT Shearing.
"He's been there for me every day," he said. "If I've got any troubles, I just go and ask him."
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Stan Gorton
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
Walkley-nominated journalist based at The Islander on Kangaroo Island with an interest in the local community and the environment.
