An Inspiration of the Wool Industry... Vale Pat Mumford. Legend Wool Classer... Pat my dear friend left this world a better place this week. His life was inspirational. He was a gentleman and a scholar. Born in Mogriguy NSW in 1925. 89 years young. Always lived a healthy clean life. Had an amazing head of hair to the end! He was not just a wool classer, He flew 22 missions over Germany in WW2 as a wireless operator with the 576th Squadron in Lancaster bombers. Home from the war he ran the family farm with his brother. Got married and had 3 children. Bought his brother out. Drought hit in the 60s. Farming was tough.To make ends meet he went to the wool sheds rouseabouting. His Mum was a school teacher. So he went to Tafe to get his stencil in wool classing. Also trained in shed maintenance and shed management. He sold the farm and worked full time wool classing, mainly in the Brewarrina area. He loved the smoko times in the sheds when yarns were told and characters met. He would lay back in the wool and think this is a bloody good life! Pat also was an excellent swimmer. Thats how he kept fit. He dominated veteran swimming events for 15 years in the 80s and 90s. He did wool classing last season at the age of 88. Worked the full week and did the books. He will be sorely missed in the shed this year especially by this photographer who loved his humour, cheekiness and those twinkling eyes. The main shed he worked at in the end, was the shed and farm, he owned as younger man at Mogriguy. This is where I took these photos. A man to emulate in the wool industry...
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 04:16:07 +0000
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