A chartered accountant turned wool classer has taken home the coveted golden stencil at the 2024 National Graduate Wool Classer Competition.
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Kelly Gellie, 39, Maroona, Vic, said she likely had a little bit more "life experience" than most of the 10 competitors at the Sydney Royal on Tuesday, but proved it was never too late to change careers.
With her father-in-law ready to retire, she trained under Moera Hammonds and Brian Kearney at Shearer Woolhandlers in Hamilton, Vic, one day a week for 18 months to earn her certificate.
"I was born and bred on the farm, but moved away and studied in Melbourne to be an accountant," Ms Gellie said.
"But I decided that we got to a point in life where we needed some change on the farm and went and trained and got my certificate so that I could class our own clip."
For judges David Cowther, AWEX, Mark Taylor, AWN, and Stuart Murphy, TAFE NSW, it was a close race to the blue ribbon.
"They were peas in a pod and I think it's really refreshing to see a really, really well trained group of wool classers going out to be the future of the industry," Mr Murphy said.
"To promote classing as a career, and most importantly, produce wool that meets the needs of the pipeline."
Mr Murphy said the judges were in agreement on the winners - from a broker's view, from the compliance side, and from the perspective of training.
Andrew Friend, 25, was awarded second place as well as the DAS Campbell Prize for the top NSW graduate.
Growing up on a sheep and cattle station at Bourke, he found work in the abattoirs, and later, civil construction.
But a move back to Tamworth and starting work in a wool store prompted his training as a classer, under Pauline Smith at Armidale TAFE.
Mr Friend worked his way up to a store manager's role and became a wool broker with his own clientele.
Bringing long-term partner Ashley Bridge and their son Hudson to Sydney, a ribbon was not something any of them had expected.
"It's our 10 year anniversary trip," Mr Friend said.
"I've never been to the Sydney Show before, but we came away to have a nice weekend away - and got a very good outcome.
"It is a marathon, but I'm very happy - it still hasn't sunk in."
Emma Hawkins, 20, Mudgee, took home third place and the bronze stencil.
Ms Hawkins worked in her nan's shearing shed from a young age, learning the ropes on her grandparents' superfine Merino property between Bathurst and Mudgee.
She plied her hand at roustabouting and wool handling after finishing school, before jumping into wool classing training under Kim Jenkins, Armidale.
With two years' training under her belt, Ms Hawkins is looking toward a future in the wool industry while studying a Bachelor of Agriculture at the University of New England.
Moera Hammonds and Brian Kearney were also awarded the Dennis Teasdale Perpetual Trophy, recognising the training organisation behind the competition winner.
