'We owe a great deal to that man': Wosleley's shearing designs changed wool industry forever

In 1888, the sight of 184,000 gleaming white, newly shorn sheep on the dry plains of the Darling River near Louth in New South Wales represented a technological leap and a glimpse of the future.Wolseley invented and built the shears and the engineering required to power itDunlop Station had become the first property in the world to shear an entire flock using machines.

"The mechanical handpiece via Wolseley took 25 years to come to fruition, from the time he started until it became a market success. So that says commitment," said Ian Itter, a retired engineer who has spent decades uncovering and documenting Wolseley's vast legacy now present in woolsheds around the world.Retired engineer Ian Itter has spent decades researching Wolseley's life and achievements.

For an inventor, the path from conception to reality is never easy, as Fred Wolseley was constantly reminded. Wolseley’s mechanical shears were so effective blade shearers feared mechanisation would put them out of work. After helping to transform the wool industry, Herbert Austin returned to England in 1896 to make cars.His vehicles, including the 'Baby Austin', would become world famous, so too the 'Wolseley', the vehicle he named in honour of his mentor Frederick Wolesley.

"Then the wool industry really became the mainstay of the Australian economy for the following 60 or 70 years," said Angelique Hutchison.Today's shearing machines, though greatly refined, are essentially the same as Wolseley's.

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