My Woolly Memory

For reasons best known to the Happiness Engineers at WordPress, Paol Soren’s most recent post threw up a link to an older one of mine. Some of the links were broken and I updated them with alternatives, so if the wording does not make complete sense, that is the reason. Also a couple of the links appear beyond redemption, but I guess the gist of it still makes sense. Be warned – This post is heavy on detail, which may not suit all readers.

Garrulous Gwendoline's avatarThe Reluctant Retiree

There was a time when Australia’s economy “rode the sheep’s back”.

Image result for "greasy wool"

The selective breeding of Merino ewes resulted in sheep that adapted well to the arid interior of Australia and produced wool that appealed to the mills of England.

(Source: National Film and Sound Archive of Australia)

This post, about wool, has been inspired by Paol Soren’s recent story titled “The Sale”. Without his encouragement I would never have thought to have written it. He feels my time in the wool industry is an experience worth sharing . . . I hope some of you agree . . . so here goes.

It has been many decades since England was the main customer for Australian merino wool. These days, the major markets are China – which bought $2.417 billionin 2015/16 – followed by India ($216 million) and Italy ($160 million). Other players include Thailand, Malaysia, and the…

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