SO WHAT'S a retired science teacher doing establishing a Merino stud in Ballarat's potato-rich country?
"Sentimentality," says Andrew Greenwood, who retired from Adelaide's St Peter's College in 2002 to establish the Eildon Springs stud at Waubra with his wife, Carol.
For Mr Greenwood, the Eildon Springs property was about buying back part of the land his great-grandfather settled in 1855.
And he opted for Merinos because he said Merinos and wool were what many of his boarding students would talk about.
The Eildon Springs stud was established on a line of Alan Stewart's Stockton sheep with the soft-rolling skin characteristic.
"I was persuaded by the science of what Jim Watts (promoter of SRS) was advocating," Mr Greenwood said.
Since establishing the stud, he has joined MerinoSelect to fully record his small flock of 180 ewes, which included establishing full pedigrees.
For classing and visual assessment Mr Greenwood uses local sheep consultant Rob Russell of Sheepscope.
His goal is to produce a large-framed 58kg ewe, producing 5-6kg of 16-17 micron wool.
And while Mr Greenwood admits he mightn't have the experience of long-time Merino breeders he has the advantage of "coming with no baggage".
He began selling rams privately two years ago, and next week will run his first on-property Helmsman sale with a catalogue of 30 yearling and two-year-old rams.
The on-property sale at Waubra starts at 11am on Tuesday, November 11.
