"Federaton Flora" was created by 13 members of the Geelong Handweavers and Spinners Guild Inc for the centenary of Federation in Australia. It won 1st prize in the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Bendigo, 2000.Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Woolcraft Competitionhandicrafts, geelong handweavers and spinners guild inc., felting, hand spinning, hand knitting, weaving

Brown paperback book with red bindingSheep and Wool Grade 2 Department of Sheep and Wool Royal Melbourne Technical College

Brown paperback book with green bindingSheep and Wool Grade 1 Department of Sheep and Wool Royal Melbourne Technical College

Part of a collection of books, manuals, photographs, letters and clothing relating to the working life of Stuart Ascough. Stuart's career in the wool industry spanned over 43 years from 1960 to 2003 in various roles including Topmaking Plant Manager at Courtaulds Ltd. in Spennymore, U.K., Operations Manager at Port Phillip Mills in Williamstown Victoria, Marketing Executive, Early Stage Wool Processing at the International Wool Secretariat Melbourne, Australia and General Manager of Victoria Wool Processors Pty. Ltd. in Laverton North, Victoria. Throughout his career Stuart travelled extensively, and in the 1990s worked at many topmaking mills in China on quality improvement projects. He also provided technical advice and training at mills in India, Ukraine, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Latvia, Byelorussia and other parts of Europe and Asia.A series of ten A4 information leaflets with various titles on the theme of 'About Wool...'. Some leaflets are single sheets double sided, some are folded four sided leaflets. All have different colours and titles, including 'Australian Wool Industry Statistics', 'History of the Australian Wool Industry', 'Guide to Wool Textiles', 'Wool the Fibre', 'Trademarks of Wool', 'Wool and the Environment', 'The Australian Sheep Flock', 'Care of Wool', 'The Natural Properties of Wool' and 'The Processing of Raw Wool into Yarn'. Leaflets show illustrations, logos, images and text.8394.1: No.1 / AUSTRALIAN / WOOL INDUSTRY / STATISTICS 8394.2: No. 2 / HISTORY OF THE / AUSTRALIAN WOOL / INDUSTRY 8394.3: No. 3 / GUIDE TO WOOL TEXTILES 8394.4: No. 4 / WOOL THE FIBRE 8394.5: No. 5 / TRADEMARKS OF WOOL 8394.6: No. 6 / WOOL AND THE ENVIRONMENT 8394.7: No. 7 / THE / AUSTRALIAN SHEEP / FLOCK 8394.8: No. 8: / CARE OF WOOL 8394.9: No. 9 / THE NATURAL / PROPERTIES OF WOOL 8394.10: No. 10 / THE PROCESSING OF / RAW WOOL INTO YARNstuart ascough, international wool secretariat, victoria wool processors, port phillip mills pty ltd, topmaking, career, wool industry, mills, leaflet

Shearing time at Cooninbil Station, NSW, 2006. The Ferrier Wool Press sits among penned sheep in an old woolshed. Invented and made in Geelong, the Ferrier wool press could be found in woolsheds all over Australia and around the world.A Green large wool press reaches towards the ceiling in the centre of the image. Rays of bright orange sunlight extend around the green wool press. Surrounding the wool press are numerous sheep. The sheep are penned within a large multileveled wooden woolshed.shearing, ferrier wool press, cooninbil station

Framed collage of Australian raw wool by wool artist Pauline Osborn. Titled "Jimba on Manooka" (Sheep on Hill). Work specially made for the National Wool Museum after a visit by the artist in 1991.Wool collage of pastoral scene entitled "Jimba on Manooka" (English translation - Sheep on Hill). Framed and glazed.handicrafts

Matilda was a Merino ewe who went missing for over 5 years on cattle country just outside of Hamilton. When she was found she had over 30 kgs of fleece that needed to be shorn. She was shorn in Melbourne's Federation Square in 2005. Her fleece was then processed into fabric by CSIRO. The fleece made enough fabric for six jackets. The jackets were auctioned at Crown Palladium Ballroom in March of that year. The winners had their jacket tailored to their measurements by Blazzer. All profits from the auction went to Celebration of Life, a fund established to support Victoria's Royal Children’s Hospital neonatal unitFour samples of wool in the different stages of process. The first two are of the raw fleece from the sheep, the second has been washed and combed, the third a fabric sample created from the wool.wool, sheep, merino wool, missing sheep, maltilda, fleece, csiro

Presented to Jean Inglis as a prize for winning the textile competition at the 1988 Royal Melbourne Sheep Show. Her entry was a hand spun, woven and dyed wool suit for the Fashions for the Eighties parade competition. Earliest Date: 1988Dark blue felted wool sash with yellow text attached. Test reads "THE AUSTRALIAN SHEEP BREEDERS ASSOCIATION INC. / 1988 WEEKLY TIMES MELBOURNE SHEEP & WOOLCRAFT SHOW / WOOLCRAFT COMPETITION"

Alyson Horne of Sarsfield Victoria spinning sheep wool at Art and Craft weekend held at the Mechanics Hall Bruthen VictoriaBlack and white photograph showing Alyson Horne of Sarsfield Victoria spinning sheep wool at Art and Craft weekend held at the Mechanics Hall Bruthen Victoriaarts and crafts, social history

Designed to be used with a Sun Sculpture viewfinder.A collection containing 3 stereoscopes from the Underwood and Underwood brothers Ottawa, Kansas. depciting images of Australian sheep stations and the Dalgetty's wool sales floor. Copyrighted in 1908 by Underwood and Underwood. Each item consists of two identical photographs, side by side on a grey backing card with rounded edges.Wording: Underwood & Underwood, publishers. / Ney York, London, Torronto - Canada, Ottawa - Kansas.;Method: Printed;Location: Left Hand side of card perpendicular to the image. Wording: Works and Studios ~ / Arlington, N.J. Westwood, N.J.;Method: Printed;Location: Right Hand Side of card perpendicular to the photograph Wording: Sun Scultpure /Trade Mark. ;Method: Printed;Location: Right hand side of card. Wording: (27) - 10255 - Dalgetty's Sales Rooms where wool-buyers came from all parts of / the world - Australia. Copyright 1908 by Underwood & Underwood. U-113253.;Method: Printed;Location: Bottom of card. Wording: (57) - 10285 - Drink for 5000 thirsty sheep on a big ranch at Warrah, Australia. / Copyright 1908 by Underwood & Underwood. U-113324;Method: Printed;Location: Bottom of Card. Wording: (29) - 10257 - four thousand sheep changing pasture during a dry season - / Australia. Copyright 1908 by Underwood & Underwood. U-113121.;Method: Printed;Location: Bottom of Card.stereoscope, photographs, sun sculpture viewfinder, sheep, wool, station, underwood and underwood, dalgetys, warrah

Reproduction print of "Flora, a Spanish Sheep at Buckingham Palace,1849 ", a watercolour by Frederick Keyl (1823-1871), presented to the National Wool Museum by HRH Queen Elizabeth 11, April 28th, 1988.Red leather folder, presented by HRH Elizabeth II on her visit to the National Wool Centre in 1988. Red leather folder, presented by HRH Elizabeth II on her visit to the National Wool Centre in 1988. "Flora, a Spanish Sheep at Buckingham Palace,1849 ", print inside presentation folder from HRH Elzabeth II.ER/PRESENTED/ TO THE/ NATIONAL WOOL CENTRE/ GEELONG/ BY/ HER MAGESTY THE QUEEN/ 28TH APRIL 1988 "ER"

Book was given to Mr Robert 'Bob' Edward Mitchell in 1938. Mr Mitchell trained as a wool classer in the 1930's and was awarded this book as the senior prize. Mr. Mitchell grew up on the Moorabinda sheep property and is on the honour roll as a past student who served in World War II from Wharparilla West State School.Large black bound book containing 12 double-sided pages, each with several wool samples mounted to a blue paper with the name of sheep breed which the wool came from. Each page also has a loose sheet of wax paper over the wool. Book can be closed and secured with a length of black material which can be tied up.

The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo. This is the second in a series of 5 wool classing exercise books. They were written by Stanley Hucker in his time at the Gordon Technical College from 1936-1938. This book begins in a cover of black vinyl with a strip of red tape on the spine. A sticker label is also found on the front cover. It has been damaged with part of the sticker removed. Internally, the book is handwritten on yellowed pages with blue lines for the assistance in clarity of handwriting. The pages are also surrounded by a margin of red pen. The exercise book’s content is about the wool industry. It is handwritten and accompanied by an occasional hand drawn table. A selection of pages have been photographed to give an impression of the information taught in classes, 90 years ago. This includes information about: - Matching wool terminologies in different countries i.e. England, USA, France, and Germany - Charges deducted in the selling of wool i.e. insurance & commission - The duties of a Wool Classer - The history of Merino Sheep - Wool Selling figures from 1925-1932 - Statistics on the breed of sheep in Australia (as of 31st December 1929) - Australia’s portion of the global wool clip in 1934 gordon institute geelong, wool classing, 1930s sheep farming, 90 years wool classing between father & son

Used at Tarndwarncoort by Wendy Dennis and family. Small blue Lambs coat made in Australia, Yellow and white coats made in Australia by ?Goblin? Company in Australia about 35 years ago with rheem material polypropylene. Both Green coats are large sizes (Korean Made) Current Coats used now by Tarndwarncoort are made in China from Nylon material. These coats were decorated by year 12 students at Colac High School for Fashions on the field (no sign of this is visible on the coats. The coats come along with several articles written by Wendy Dennis about her methods of producing coloured wool and growing sheep. A series of photographs are also provided which add to the provenance and significance of the items. Used by the Dennis Family at Tarndwarncoort. Prominent woll growing pastoralist and settler family at the historic Tarndwarncoort homestead. These types of coats are used to protect fine grade and high quality wool while still on the sheep's back. These coats were made in Australia, and while these types of coats are still used, they are now made in China and Korea. 5 small sized lamb coats. shaped to fit a sheep with leg straps or holes in the rear, and joins, shashes and ties at the front. Light Green Dark Green White Yellow Grey letter from Wndy dennis of Tarndwarncoort Article titled 'Breeding Coloured Sheep and using Coloured wool' by Mrs. W. S. Dennis. Article Titled 'Coloured Sheep and Wool: Exploring Their Beauty and Function' by Mrs. W. S. Dennis. Article Describing the Tarndwarncoort property and its history. A4 Black and white photograph of Tarndwarncoort sheep wearing coats such as the ones in this collection

Part of the 2009 Mouth and Foot Painting Artist Exhibition held at The Shearer's Arms Arts Centre & Visual GalleryLandscape painting of wool shed with sheep in foregroundsheep, mouth and foot painting

The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo. This is the fourth in a series of 5 wool classing exercise books. They were written by Stanley Hucker in his time at the Gordon Technical College from 1936-1938. This book begins in a white cover with blue ink illustrations and writing. It has a centrepiece-coloured emblem of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth with flags of the Union Jack & Australia in background. Internally, the book is handwritten on yellowed pages with blue lines for the assistance in clarity of handwriting. The pages are also surrounded by a margin of red pen. The exercise book’s content is about wool studies relating to the health and productivity of wool sheep. It is handwritten. A selection of pages have been photographed to give an impression of the information taught in classes, 90 years ago. This includes information about: - Wool scouring - Shearing - Lamb marking - Breeding - Fellmongering - Comparison between wool and artificial fibres - Characteristics of good wool - Wool selling methods - Established studs in Victoria - Award rates (1937-38)Front Cover. Wording, printed and handwritten. “CORONATION / EXERCISE BOOK / NAME Stanley Hucker / GRADE SUBJECT Wool / SCHOOL Gordon Front Cover. Illustration’s colour, printed. King George VI & Queen Elizabeth with flags of the Union Jack & Australia in background.gordon institute geelong, wool classing, 1930s sheep farming, 90 years wool classing between father & son

The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo. Thin sheet of orange plastic with letters and numbers moulded to produce a consistent pattern for the surface below through the application of ink. This wool classing stencil once belonged to Denis Hucker. The top number is Denis’ Wool Classing Stencil Number. On the next line is the emblem of the Australian Wool Exchange, followed by an image of Australia, and finally the letters AW. The final line reads 50 years, indicating Denis’ experience in the profession of wool classing. This stencil is reserved for wool classers who have held their stencil and been actively classing wool in Australia for more than 50 years. Wool classers sort, classify, and grade wool into various lines so that it can be sold at best market price. They also manage and supervise wool-handling teams. The stencil is used in the final step of preparing a bale of wool for sale. It is branded across the front of a wool bale to indicate the quality of the wool, with the classers number used as a seal of approval. Accompanying the stencil are two sheets of white A4 paper with printing in gold and black ink. The first sheet was presented by the Australian Council of Wool Exporters & Processors to Denis Hucker for achieving 50 years of wool classing. Surrounded by a thin gold boarder, the page is made up of black text with gold headings. In the top right corner, an image of a sheep with an outline of Australia is found. The second piece of paper was presented by the Australian Wool Exchange to Denis Hucker for achieving 50 years of wool classing. Two thirds of the page is made up of a gold stencil which reads “50 years”. Accompanying the stencil is black text. Moulded letters, numbers, emblem, and imagery. “950326 / (emblem AWEX) (Image Australia) AW / 50 Years” A4 Paper. Printed. See Multimedia A4 Paper. Printed See Multimedia wool classing, stencil, 90 years wool classing between father & son

The story of 90 years of wool classing between father & son begins in 1936, when a young boy by the name of Stanley James Hucker walked through the doors of the Gordon Technical School in Geelong. Born in 1921, Stanley was 15 years of age when he began his 3-year course in Wool Classing. 30 years later, Stanley’s second son Denis completed the same 3-year wool classing course. Beginning in 1966, Denis attended the same Gordon Technical School and walked the same halls as his father before him. Stanley finished his course in 1938. He went back to the family farm in Lake Bolac for a brief period before enrolling in the Second World War. At the completion of the war, Stanley returned home and married before gaining a soldier settler allotment, north of Willaura. This enabled Stan to use his wool classing knowledge. He ran between 1,500 and 2,000 sheep for many years, while his wool classer stencil also allowed him to go out and class at various sheds around the area. He held his stencil from 1938 until he retired at the age of 60 in 1981. On retirement, his second son Denis was working in the district, managing a local property while also leasing land himself. Upon his father’s retirement, Denis had the opportunity to lease his father’s farm, an opportunity he could not refuse. Denis had finished his wool classing course at the Gordon Technical School in 1968, graduating dux of his class. He began working with a local contractor and started classing wool in his team. Denis gained a great deal of experience working as part of this team in big sheds of up to 8 stands servicing between 10 & 20,000 sheep. It was not all smooth sailing for Denis however, and he soon learnt an important lesson. Class wool the way you’re taught, don’t listen to the owner standing over your shoulder. At a clip of Corriedales near Casterton, Denis was pushing too many fleeces into the line of fine wool. This resulted in a notice from the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX) “mixing counts too much, submit three clips for inspection”. Denis was able to submit 3 clips with no further complaints, however, this proved a valuable lesson he would never forget over his long career classing wool. In the early 1980s, when Denis was leasing two properties including his father’s, things were going well until drought struck. February 1983 was the date of the Ash Wednesday bushfires, and saw Melbourne have three days over 40 °C for only the second time on record. This period saw Denis give away farming, turning towards contracting work instead. After the difficult times of the early 1980s, the next two decades were a good time for the sheep industry. 15 micron wool was selling for prices between 4 to 5,000 cents per kilo, double what you’d expect for the same wool in 2022. In 1995 a single bale of wool sold for a million dollars. This was a good time for Denis too. His contracting work saw him employing local shearers and shed staff. His team was involved with the shearing and classing of more than 130,000 sheep. After 20 years of contracting, it was time for Denis to transition into the next phase of his life. He gave up independent contracting, preferring instead to return to being a member of someone else’s team. In 2018, having completed 50 years of wool classing, it was time to call it a day and retire completely. At the annual Gordon Wool School Old Students Association dinner held in 2018, Denis was presented with his 50 years as a registered wool classer stencil awarded by the Australian Wool Exchange (AWEX). This is a rare honour achieved by few. As of February 2020, a total of 430 wool classers had achieved this 50-year milestone. For Denis however, his proudest achievement is achieving 90 years of wool classing with his father. The National Wool Museum is proud to share the collection of objects gained from 90 years in the wool classing industry by Stanley and Denis. This ranges from Stanley’s first stencil and Wool Sample book, started when he first attended the Gordon in 1936. The collection concludes 90 years later with Denis’ 50 years of wool classing Stencil. The collection contains many more objects, all telling the story of these 90 years, and the hard work invested by this dedicated father and son duo.Large black bound book with ribbon for fastening containing 12 double-sided blue pages. Pages have several samples of shorn wool mounted and annotated to include information such as specific breeding, shearing faults, and geographical area. The book concludes with four pages without wool samples. Two of these pages relate to plans for a shearing shed and other industry related structures. The final two-pages relate to the anatomy of a sheep. Wool sample books were constructed by Wool Classing students at the Gordon Technical School as examples of what to look for when classing wool. The students were tasked with constructing these books with samples they retrieved themselves from several different farms and animals. The book would serve as a reference point for the wool classers throughout their years in the field, it was always on hand to refresh knowledge. This book was constructed by Stanley Hucker over his schooling at the Gordon between 1936 and 1938Front Cover. Handwritten, White Ink "Stanley Hucker / Samples"90 years wool classing between father & son, wool classing, gordon technical school

An inscription written across the lower right of the photograph says that the Francis woolshed was the first shed in the district to install machines for shearing, and that it was used as a community shearing shed for district farmers. Early LDHS index to photographs identifies Jack Francis, holding wool press; Jim Francis shearing, nearest door; Henry Francis, lad on bale of wool.Black and white copy of original photograph of five men, two dogs and two sheep posing outside a wool shed. With wooden hand wool press and bales of wool.francis wool shed, h.f. newland [brand on francis wool bales], 'newland' (francis property], shearing, wool press