Gabby enhances wool path with Quality Wool academy

AFTER a decade working in shearing sheds in almost every role, an opportunity with Australia’s largest family wool broker, Quality Wool, has provided Coonamble’s Gabby Smith with a gateway to travelling the country and developing new skills.

The 33‑year‑old has been working with the business since January under its ‘Q‑Academy’, a new company initiative investing in the wool industry’s next generation.

Gabby, originally from Narromine, has spent the past two months gaining an understanding of all aspects of the Quality Wool business, including stints at the company’s 27,000m² show floor and wool store in Geelong, bulk class operation in Port Adelaide, and visiting various regional stores.

Prior to joining Quality Wool, Gabby said she had spent much of the previous two decades working on farms, and she paid tribute to the late Willy Redington with the business for helping her progression in the wool industry. Willy passed away in February following a short illness.

“I’d been in the sheds for 10 years as a presser, roustabout and classer,” Gabby said.

“I met Willy in a shearing shed, and it was actually him who helped me get on with completing my wool classing ticket.

“Willy mentioned my name to Anthony Windus (Quality Wool marketing representative) and from there, that’s how my opportunity with the business came about.”

Gabby said she was pleasantly surprised with the travel opportunities being presented with the company, and, while working primarily from Quality Wool’s Gulargambone depot and surrounding areas, she was enjoying observing the company’s national scope.

“Not long after I came on board, I found out I’d be flying to Adelaide to spend time in the stores and at the head office there,” she said.

“I’ve also been to Geelong and to Melbourne to see the auction selling part of the wool process, which I loved.

“I’ll soon head back to Victoria for another stint down there, and then over to Peak Hill, where I’ll be learning how to use the laser scanning machine.”

Quality Wool General Manager Greg Pearce said the company developed the Q‑Academy to help fast‑track knowledge transfer from highly skilled and experienced wool professionals through to the industry’s future generations and leaders.

“The academy incorporates six intensive workshops throughout a calendar year. They blend advanced technical and commercial proficiency with the core values upon which the Quality Wool teams operate, helping to further grow relationships with growers and enhance their productivity and profitability by making more out of every fleece,” Greg said.