Reg Croker, the man behind Boorowa's Running of the Sheep

Every September, as the town prepares for the Boorowa Irish Woolfest, one man quietly works away at his property at Godfreys Creek. He gets the shearing shack ready, lines up shearers and selects the 150 wethers that will run in the now-famous Boorowa Running of the Sheep. That man is Reg Croker. Croker has supplied the sheep for the run for about eight years. Together with his brother, he runs about 4600 sheep. Most are wethers, male sheep that have been castrated, which he buys in at one year old and generally sells at about five and a half to six years old. "There's no difference in the quality really, but wethers are a bit easier to maintain than the ewes and lambs," he said. Croker shears his sheep in January, so by Woolfest they are carrying a good fleece, a fitting look for a festival built around wool. A mob of 150 is the usual number for the run, and Croker is particular about which ones make the trip to town. "I tend to get an older mob," he said. "Young sheep, if they go into Woolfest, they baulk and get scared, whereas the older sheep will run better." Younger sheep were tried last year and would not run, so Croker and Woolfest committee member Jack Ryan agreed to go back to his older wethers. "I think these fellas will run pretty well, they're pretty fit," Reg said. The run is only part of Croker's Woolfest, as he also runs the shearing shack, a working display on the back of a truck. It shows off a modern shearing plant alongside an antique plant powered by a small petrol motor. Blade shearing will be demonstrated by 73-year-old Keith Coble and by Scotty Halls son Buster. This year the shack will also feature a piece of the Croker family's own history. When the family bought their property in 1963, an old Wolseley No. 3 shearing handpiece which dates back to 1910. "It was hanging on the wall when we bought the place, and I've kept it in good nick all those years," he said. The handpiece still works, and Scotty Halls will use it to shear as a demonstration on the day. Croker said handpieces of that era earned a nickname among shearers. "They used to call them the hot box, because they used to get fairly warm," he said. Croker is also a regular in the tractor parade. He will set up his display of old tractors and motors behind George Campbell's old shop again this year, and he is bringing along his hearse. His son, Keith, is expected to bring his old Chamberlain tractor, which has been fitted with a V8 engine. The Boorowa Irish Woolfest will be held on Sunday 4 October. "Hopefully it'll be a good day," Croker said.