When shearing finished at Pandurra Station in March, it marked the 50th year of hosting a shearing school in collaboration with Shearing Contractors' Association of Australia (SCAA).
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Pandurra Station, 40 kilometres west of Port Augusta in South Australia was first purchased by the Nutt family in 1895.
Six generations later and the modern day station is comprised of over 80,000 hectares of natural grazing land, running approximately 20,000 sheep.
Producing Merino wool is one of the primary activities on the station, with the bulk of the shearing taking place annually in March.
Pandurra first became involved with SCAA 50 years ago.
Bruce Nutt, owner and operator of Pandurra, explained that their commitment has always been about providing an opportunity for up-and-coming shearers to learn their trade and join the industry.
"(Back then) the industry was looking for a better way to train shearers where the grower becomes the contractor as such, and takes the risk.
"They approached my father with the concept and he agreed.
"This year we have eight trainee shearers on our team," he said.
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Mr Nutt said they have been supplemented with five professional shearers, only due to a shortage of trainees.
"In this shed, the team will get through around 17,000 sheep, and in another shed, there will be a further 3,000.
"The quality is good, as always, and they are here to learn, so the attitudes tend to be good too.
"Over time, the school has really evolved into an improver school, so they are finishing their training here, and then are nearly ready for a full contract job."
Damien Webb, Elders Livestock Manager for northern South Australia, said that shearer and shed hand shortages are one of the biggest issues facing the sheep industry, making the Nutt family's contribution even more important.
"The shearing industry is at a critical point at the moment, with plenty of properties struggling to find shearers," Mr Webb said.
"For a family to be involved in shearer training for now 50 years shows they are really industry focussed.
"What the family have done for the shearing industry over so many years is a credit to them."
Joshua Sneath, the SA Coordinator of the SCAA's Shearer/ Wool Handling entity said the link with Pandurra has proven an excellent stepping stone for new shearers coming into the industry.
"We send a minimum of seven shearers and eight shed hands every year to Pandurra," Mr Sneath said.
"Bruce lets us know how many sheep he has and we work out a team that has a mix of experience."
Mr Sneath said the SCAA had other producers involved in shearer training in their sheds but none had been collaborating with SCAA as long as the Nutt family have.
"Their dedication for training and the wool industry in general is fantastic," he said.
