PRINCE Charles might have had his hands in his pockets at the launch of his wool campaign earlier this year, but it seems not for the sake of pulling out a wad of cash to support his latest campaign to promote wool.

From what C&C hears, Australian Wool Innovation has already committed $164,000 to the project - launched in January to lift demand for "British and Commonwealth wool" - which could soon have a budget of $1.64 million.

C&C also understands the campaign is to be directed by a newly formed company, appropriately called The Campaign for Wool Ltd, and that British Wool Marketing Board will also be contributing - but don't count on too much from the latter if history is any guide.

The BWMB's greatest skill has always been to get a free ride off marketing campaigns developed and funded by the Aussies and the Kiwis.

Finest wool

THE finest bale of wool ever produced will auctioned today.

Lexton wool growers Robert and Pam Sandlant, of Pyrenees Park stud, produced the 100kg superfine bale measuring 11.4 micron from sheep shorn in late December last year.

The record price for a bale of this type is $259,000 for a bale of wool from the NSW Southern Highlands in 2008.

Youthful ideas

IDEAS on how to market wool must be hard to find.

Perhaps that's why AWI board committee, the Marketing and Intellectual Property Committee, headed by Chick Olsson, invited second-year University of Sydney marketing undergraduate Grace Falkiner to give a presentation on wool.

Grace just so happens to be the daughter of AWI director George Falkiner.

Tough job

AN ADVERTISEMENT for the top job at AWI to replace Brenda McGahan appeared in last Friday's edition of The Australian Financial Review.

All the usual employment ad cliches were trotted out; "challenging and rewarding position" and a "rare opportunity to take a leadership role".

Although the one that intrigued C&C the most was the ability to "work with an independent board of non-executive directors".

Ironically, in the same edition, there was a full-page report on the current kerfuffle within the AWI board.