IT'S not everyday you get to fulfil your teenage dream of shearing overseas.
WA young gun Danielle Mauger has only been shearing for four years and has already managed to secure a spot shearing overseas, and she's not showing any signs of slowing down.
"Right now, I love my job and can't see myself quitting any time soon, I hope to get another 10 years out of shearing," Ms Mauger said.
She grew up on a Balingup property run by parents Ross and Linda, running about 1000 sheep.
"My dad has been shearing since he was 19 in the Wheatbelt and Great Southern region," she said.
Following in the footsteps of her father, Ms Mauger started to shear at the age of 15 and admitted she was "hooked'' from then onwards.
"I can remember the first time I picked up a handpiece and I couldn't believe how heavy it was," she said.
"I used to watch my dad shear and he could move the handpiece around a sheep like it weighed nothing, so it was a shock when I had a crack at it for the first time and realised it's not as easy as it looks."
Ms Mauger is a past student of the WA College of Agriculture, Harvey, and it was during her years at the college that she learned to shear and attended multiple shearing workshops at Rylington Park, Scotts Brook.
The shearing school provided her with a great education to kick-start her career, with shearing instructor Kevin Gellatly and other knowledgeable trainers she described as "very helpful".
After leaving school, Ms Mauger rousabouted at Broomehill to help get her foot in the door.
"I managed to get a stand when I was 19," she said.
"From that day onwards, my goal was to start shearing full-time."
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Ms Mauger admits the role is draining, both physically and mentally and that injuries are common.
"You do get burnt out, the main struggle for me is the mental side of it," she said.
"You work eight hour days, seven days a week and you're shearing tough sheep that kick you over and over, it's exhausting and can be hard to stay positive.
"I've been very lucky in the way of injuries, I've had minor wrist problems and I do tend to jab myself every now and then with the handpiece."
Regardless of the strain shearing has, she loves what she does and is very grateful to work alongside some very supportive people.
Ms Mauger enjoys seeing other women in the sheds, giving shearing a go.
"My tips to any female shearer would be to work smarter not harder," Ms Mauger said.
"Unfortunately we don't have the same strength as men, so outmuscling the sheep doesn't work, so you need to work on your positioning of the sheep to reduce the weight and strain on your body, eat good food, stretch and have patience.
"It takes time to learn to do the job well in a way that's easier on your body, it doesn't happen overnight but if you put in the time and effort it will happen."
Competition wise, Ms Mauger is aiming to compete in the 2022/2023 circuit and top her efforts of six competitions in the 2021/2022 circuit, which was heavily affected by COVID-19 due to cancellations.
In future, she is hoping to compete at a higher level, enter in more speed shears and beat her personal tally.
"I would like to move up to the senior grade in shows and next year eventually be good enough to compete in the open," she said.
"COVID-19 has definitely made it harder for shearers and shed hands to travel.
"I would've liked to have travelled earlier but wanted to wait until COVID-19 settled down before I left."
Ms Mauger travelled overseas to shear for the first time this year - spending eight weeks in the United Kingdom, including Scotland.
"Once the work finishes up here I am going to holiday around the UK, making it about a three month round trip, it's my first time shearing out of Australia," she said.
The talented shearer has been able to see just how different shearing is in the UK, describing it as a bit "rougher" than Australia, which she was really surprised about.
"A lot of the time we are working in the middle of a paddock, with no running water, shade or toilet," Ms Mauger said.
"Shearers have a different lifestyle too, contractors have about a three-month season full-time and then a few odd jobs the rest of the year.
"Australia's season is about nine months and we have more of a work-life balance, there aren't really any shearing sheds over here so most teams take a shearing trailer from job to job."
Ms Mauger highlighted that farming in the UK was different to what she's used to - made up of smaller mob sizes, combined with crossbreds or shedding breeds.
Having experienced shearing in the UK, so far she says that home in Australia is still by far her favourite place to shear.
Ms Mauger is hopeful that her future endeavours consist of more travel.
"New Zealand is the next place I'd like to go, hopefully next year," she said.
"I'd also like to get over to America, Europe and travel around Australia shearing too."
