Kōrero: Shearing

This engraving from The Illustrated New Zealand News of December 1883 shows that by this time large woolsheds were being built, so sheep could be shorn inside. About a dozen shearers are at work using blade shears, while ‘picker-ups’ (also known as ‘rouseabouts’ or ‘rousies’) sweep up the shorn wool. A tar-boy waits with brush in hand to smear tar over cuts to stop bleeding. The inset shows the ‘boss’, or ‘ringer’ – the fastest shearer in the gang.