Mudgee wool buyer Jim Pirie is bringing a decades-long chapter of his life to a close with this his final week in the wool industry.
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“It’s mainly due to old age,” he laughed.
“I’ve been in the wool industry ever since I left school; growing, classing, pressing, little bit of shearing, and buying.
“I’ve had a go at all of it.
“It’s a good industry to be in if you’re that way inclined, but it’s not for everybody.
“It’s been a lot of fun, you meet a lot of interesting people – a lot of characters.”
A few years ago the Australian Wool Exchange began recognising woolclassers that have been registered for 50 years, however Jim’s time in the industry actually pre-dated woolclasser registration.
An even longer era will end this week as well.
“This business has been going since the late 1940s, a fellow named Doug Rhodes owned it, I worked for him and I bought it in 1979,” Jim said.
His firearms business will continue and added although he’s no longer in wool “I’ve got plenty else to keep me out of mischief”.