VETERAN shearing instructor Stan Artridge knows what hard work wielding a hand piece is.
And stand believes women shouldn't have to do it, especially his daughters.
So Stan, from Ruffy, had to swallow his pride recently when a hip operation left him out of action and he had to let three of his daughters crutch his sheep.
With some quick coaching, his daughters (pictured above from left) - Heather Drysdale from Yarck, Cathy Artridge from Creightons Creek and Ruth Hannigan from Barrakee - made short work of the 200 or so ewes, displaying the family's gene for bending the back.
Heather said these days, with shearers few and far between, it was all hands to the pump, regardless of gender.
And by all accounts Stan was impressed and more than a little proud. But best of all, it didn't cost him a cent.
