Perth Royal Show: Meet the new WA Wool Harvesting Ambassadors

Calingiri wool handler Mikayla Reihana, who placed fourth in the Perth Royal Show senior wool competition, has been named WA’s first female Wool Harvesting Ambassador. “It was a fast final, but I was happy with my performance,” she said. The 28-year-old was one of three presented with the honours of ambassador role along with shearers Blake McFarlane, 18, of Mt Barker, and Yearling shearer Tristan White, 23. Australian Wool Innovation director and WA Ambassador program partner Neil Jackson announced the new ambassadors at the show’s shearing competition awards ceremony on September 22 in front of a crowd of appreciative fans. “I feel like royalty and feel very proud to represent the woolhandlers of WA and just people from all walks of life,” Ms Reihana said. “I developed a passion for the industry on my first day in the shed. “It feels like such a privilege to be able to share my passion with everyone and I feel like I am the perfect person to be an ambassador — I am very proud to represent young woolhandlers of WA.” Ms Reihana was born in Kalgoorlie before her family moved to Newman in the Pilbara when she was three. “I left school when I was 15, had a son when I was 18, and then moved to New Zealand, where I developed an instant passion for woolhandling — where I grew up, there wasn’t any sheep,” she said. “I am looking forward to encouraging more people to come into the industry — Merino wool is an amazing natural fibre to work with. “I don’t come from agriculture or shearing and I want to show there is a place for everyone in this industry.” Mr White said he was quite taken by the accolade and was looking forward to adding the ambassador role to his repertoire. The shearer runs his own LNT contracting with about 150 clients from Wandering to Esperance. “I will be teaching shearing at Harvey Ag (WA College of Agriculture — Harvey) soon before competing at the Kojonup Shears,” he said. “The main challenge in the industry is to keep the job right.” Mr McFarlane, the youngest of the trio of ambassadors, and who placed runner-up in the intermediate shearing competition at the show, demonstrated his youthful enthusiasm and talent prior to being stated as an ambassador. The three newly named ambassadors replaced the inaugural title holders including Ethan Harder and Ethan Gellatley. Mr Jackson said the two Ethans had the attitude that shearing is a career and not a job. “Ethan Harder shore his first 100 sheep as a seven-year-old, 200 at age 12, 300 at 14, and 400 at 15,” he said. “I congratulate the work that AWI, Craig French and all the instructors have done, holding grass roots training schools all around Australia.”