Millicent’s world champion female shearer Cathy Wendelborn has been honoured with the naming of the Millicent showgrounds shearing shed in her honour.
The decision was announced by Millicent Show Society president Brett Keatley at a reunion of 130 shearers and supporters at the showgrounds on Saturday afternoon.
Reunion participants had been asked to gather at the shed for a group photograph and then Mr Keatley stepped forward to make the surprise announcement.
Until then, the re-naming had been a tightly-held secret among the Millicent Show Society Committee.’
“It was b****** tops,” Ms Wendelborn told The SE Voice about the recognition in her home town.
Not only does the Cathy Wendelborn Shearing Shed recognise her trail-blazing feats, it also reflects her 15 years of organising the annual Millicent Show Shearing Competition as well as the contribution of her parents and Millicent Show Society life members Marlene (deceased) and Ray Wendelborn.
Ms Wendelborn was raised on a farm at Bray and spent the first 10 years of her schooling at Kangaroo Inn Area School.
She completed year 11 and 12 at Millicent High School and then worked on the farm and went jillarooing.
After working as a roustabout in local sheds, she began shearing in 1982 and became a trailblazer for women shearers
She competed throughout Australia in open class events against the men and made many finals.
At the opening of the National Wool Centre in Geelong in 1988 she shore before Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth and presented her with a lock of wool.
At the world championships in Ireland in 1998 she won the Ladies Invitation event with her success making headlines across Australia.
Ms Wendelborn retired from shearing at the age of 40 in 2004 when she bought the Quilpie Bakery in Queensland. She operates it to this day.
The announcement of the shearing shed re-naming was timely as Ms Wendelborn had reached out to competitive shearers to come together and re-live the old times at the Millicent showgrounds over the weekend.
Among the Millicent district shearers to accept were David Tomlinson, Tony Nettle, Andrew (“Bear”) Hamilton and Ian Potter.
Another was Bob Sneath who began shearing at his home district of Tantanoola.
Graeme and Cheryl McFarlane were pleased to make the journey from New South Wales as they had successfully nominated Ms Wendelborn for the Australian Shearers Hall of Fame in 2022.
The oldest of the reunion participants was 90-year-old Dickie Duggan, also of NSW.
Reunion participants praised Ms Wendelborn for arranging the event and the cooperation of the Millicent Show Society for the use of the RV park, shearing shed and other facilities.
