Meet Mel, in a class of her own

AFTER years of working in shearing sheds, a Tasmanian woolhandler has been rewarded with the national champion crown.

More than 2000 sheep passed across the boards during this year’s national shearing and woolhandling championships held as part of the Bendigo Agricultural Show.

Mel Morris, of Cressy, proved a cut above her rivals in the woolhandling.

She was a member of the Tasmanian team, which won the national teams title.

The other team members were shearers Steve Rigby, Robbie Glover and Michelle Walker, another woolhandler.

After the teams competition, Ms Morris went on to win the national woolhandling title.

Last weekend she and some of her title-winning team members showed their skills at the Melton Mowbray rodeo, where she won the open woolhandler competition.

Sports Shear Australia president Jim Murray said the wool handling was brilliantly dominated by Ms Morris.

“I am pretty stoked about winning the national title, I’ve been chasing it for a while. I am more relieved than anything,” Ms Morris said.

The 37-year-old has been competing since 2005 but she started woolhandling in 1997.

Ms Morris is also a wool classer and wool handling trainer. “It’s a great job, I love it. There are many more women being wool handlers compared to when I started,” she said.

“The number of women outweighs male woolhandlers. It’s changed dramatically in the last 20 years.”

Ms Morris works for shearer and shearing contractor Steve Rigby.