Australian Shearers Hall of Fame Inductees 2022

Who will be inducted into the Shearers Hall of Fame?

Happening on Sunday, 17th Apr 2022 - More details to come!

Australian Shearers Hall of Fame Inductees 2019

Brian Morrison
Brian Morrison grew up in Longwood where he learnt to shear and play football well enough to play for Richmond in the VFL, a career he gave up to go shearing at Longreach. He won the Australian Open shearing title twice. Brian and his wife Judy began a shearing contract business before opening ‘The Wool Bin’, a shearing supplies business in Euroa in 1973 which developed into ‘Morrisons of Euroa’, a high quality country style clothing business. In 1972, Brian claimed a world record for shearing 410 merino weaners in the RSL Hall in Euroa.

John William Harris
Bill Harris was known far and wide as ‘Taggerty Bill’ to distinguish him from a cousin of the same name. He lived at Taggerty on the Acheron River for some years after he married Edna Parker. He was born in Mansfield in 1913 and tragically lost his father at an early age. He grew up at Merton before pursuing a 65 year career in the shearing industry. Bill loved his horses and while at Merton trained, rode and won the Merton Cup in 1940 and 1941. A non-drinker and non-smoker Bill Harris was a credit to the industry. His commitment to making any young shearer a better shearer was to make it easier for them. This great old shearer passed away in February 1997 in Euroa.

Denis Ryan
Denis Ryan (not related to fellow Inductee David Ryan) was born in Sydney in 1930. Drawing on his experiences, Denis was aware of the needs of the expedition shearers roaming Australia and New Zealand. He and his wife Fay pioneered the ‘Shearmaster’ brand and Milro Mail Order Co to address these needs. This business also enabled Denis to stay in touch with the shearing community. Once the Mecca of shearers, Milro closed its doors in 2014 after 58 years. It is a little known fact their iconic ‘Shearmaster’ clothing was part of the wardrobe of the film ‘Crocodile Dundee’.

David Ryan
David (Daffy) Ryan was raised at Balmoral, Victoria, and began shearing aged 16. He travelled all over Australia shearing, always learning by watching the best shearers. He soon established himself as one of the fastest shearers in Australia and proved it when he shore 466 six month old merino lambs in August 1978. The following year he pushed the tally up to 501 using narrow gear. In September 1994 he reclaimed the record when he shore 625 merino lambs. David’s shearing career was interrupted by two years National Service which included a year in Vietnam. He was a regular competitor at Golden Shears at Euroa. Today he and his wife Regina live at Wongaling Beach, Far North Queensland.

David Lawrence
David Lawrence was raised on the family farm at Southern Brook east of Northam, Western Australia. He is one of six brothers who all became shearers, and it was a proud moment, when all six shore together at the 1989 Perth Royal Show. David began shearing in 1975 under the watchful eyes of his brothers. Since then he has shorn in all areas of the State, and travelled to shear in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania many times as well as a few short seasons in New Zealand. David has enjoyed a good deal of success in competitions and has represented Australia six times in Trans-Tasman teams.