Richard Duggan will be inducted into the Australian Shearers’ Hall of Fame
AT almost 80 years old, Richard Duggan could still shear 100 sheep a day if he wanted to.
AT almost 80 years old, Richard Duggan could still shear 100 sheep a day if he wanted to.
Affectionately known as The King or King Richard, Mr Duggan, who now lives in Maryborough, has been working in shearing sheds for 65 years.
And he said just two things made a good shearer — “concentration and dedication”.
“You have to shear every sheep nearly perfect.”
Mr Duggan’s dedication will be acknowledged when he is inducted in to the Australian Shearers’ Hall of Fame at the Festival of the Blades in Hay next weekend.
He is one of five, including the late Mark Conlan of Kyneton, the late Maurice Doyle from Dookie, Ian Elkins from Boorowa, and Kevin Gellatly from Perth, who will be inducted in to the Hall of Fame.
Starting out as a rouseabout on Steam Plains at Conargo at 14, Mr Duggan took up shearing at 15.
He hit the 100-sheep-a-day mark at 16 and by 18 hit 200-sheep-a-day.
He then averaged 200-plus a day and still sheared 200 on his 75th birthday, after which he officially retired.
Mr Duggan competed in his first shearing competition in Deniliquin in 1952, which sparked a love and drive to be a champion shearer in both the shed and show.
During his career, he won 108 championship titles, including 17 state titles and three national team titles, as well as representing Australia in the UK, US and New Zealand on 10 occasions.
Mr Duggan said he first entered a show for the money.
“I turned a living in to a hobby,” he said.
In 1966, Mr Duggan said he won $2300 for shearing 36 sheep in competitions.
“It was great money then, when we were getting 20c/head in the shed.” He said he counts 1966, when he won the $2300 and the Australian champion title for the first time, as a “pretty good time”.
While he had a few job changes over the years, it was always within the industry, such as a shearing school instructor, but he always came back to shearing. Shearing blindfolded was one of The King’s most famous tricks.
“It takes concentration — if you close your eyes and concentrate you can see what you are doing,” he said.
Mr Duggan’s shearing legacy lives on with four of his sons and one grandson shearing, while he still works part-time with his wife Cheryl as a shearer’s cook.
The Hall of Fame at Shear Outback ceremony will take place at 10am on April 5.