The family includes Dad Anthony, Mum Colleen and children Tyson and Teresa who will try to knock off 180 sheep a day with the help of shearer Rodney Wood.

Anthony, who has sheared for over 20 years, said “ it should take just over a week to do the lot”.

Professional shearer Rodney travels throughout the region and works 10 and half months of the year and has sheared for 37 years.

“There haven’t been a lot of changes in the method of shearing but the introduction of new aids has helped make the job easier,” he said

One such change is the introduction of mechanical sheep shears.

The shears recently celebrated its 100th anniversary of the patent of the South Australian invention.

The shears were the brain child of South Australian Aboriginal inventor, David Unaipon, who achieved 10 Australian patents over his long and successful career in engineering, and whose face graces the Australian $50 note.

Not having to endure shearing with shears, Mr Wood has welcomed the change from 64mm combs to 92 mm combs and the use of back aids.

The aids were introduced in the early 1980s and have helped to save a lot of shearer’s backs; unfortunately they weren’t around in time to help out Mr Duffield who doesn’t shear any more due to back troubles.

Another handy change was the switch from petrol to electric motors as Mr Wood carefully shears through sheep after sheep with swift shears in a day that consists of four two hours.