Sheep shearing demonstrations provide educational attraction for children at Hawkesbury Show 2019

A number of school groups were watching the demonstration when the Gazette attended the show on Friday, which had been declared Education Day across the showground.

Professional sheep shearer Kelvin Lobley had travelled from the Macarthur region to host the demonstrations, which saw him shear a sheep and explain to the audience what he was doing and why.

He said Australia had the best-quality merino wool in the world, and it was the softest against the skin.

The demonstration took approximately 20 minutes, however Mr Lobley said he was required to shear each sheep in under two minutes when doing it professionally.

He grew up on a cattle property in Mudgee, and this was his first time at the Hawkesbury Show.

"To be a professional sheep shearer, you have to shear up to 5,000 sheep," he explained.

"We get paid per sheep, not per hour. We only work six months of the year, so we really need to make the most of it," he said.

Ebenezer's Elaine Tracey, chief steward of sheep at the show, said the demonstrations were all about getting kids interested in agriculture.

"We're trying to get younger people to run the show for us eventually, to keep the ag shows going," she said.