Traditional sheep sheering
Tom Redpath of Almonte, Ont., is pictured sheering a Scottish Black Face sheep with a sheep sheer dating to the early 1900s. He is assisted by Gord Mowat of Chesterville who provided information on spinning wool after the shearing demonstration at the Stormont County Fair, Sept. 4. Thompson Goddard photo
Carolyn Thompson Goddard
Record Correspondent
NEWINGTON – For many years Stormont County Fair has had sheep shearing demonstrations at the event. On Labour Day, Ted Redpath of Almonte, Ont., provided information and shearing demonstrations at the Fair.
Redpath began with a short history on the role sheep have played in human development, commenting how he feels that sheep were instrumental in the movement of humans into different areas of the globe. Sheep were, and to some extent still are, multipurpose animals providing humans with food, clothing, milk, fertilizer, hides to construct dwelling places and of course companionship.
Only a small amount of the world’s wool is produced in Canada according to Redpath, with Australia and New Zealand being known as among the largest wool-producing countries. He commented how a New Zealand sheep shearer can remove the wool from a sheep in about four minutes.
