Scotland's own champion wool handlers

The criteria to become a Master includes having won the national competition, to have had a long career of finals and wins throughout UK competitions and to have represented your country on the international stage.

Rosie Keenan

Rosie competing at the All Nations World Championships Invercargill, New Zealand (Photograph: Barbara Newton)

Rosie is no stranger to success on the wool boards having made finals at all the Royal shows across the UK. Competed internationally for Scotland at the World Championships in Le Dorat, France in 2019, and the World Championships at the Royal Highland Show 2023, claiming the coveted title of Woolhandling World Champion. She took time out as a new mum to answer a few questions for us.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your journey to becoming World Champion?

I grew up near Lochearnhead, a traditional shearing stronghold in Scotland over the years. I started working and travelling in the shearing industry when I was 17, travelling for work and competing in the UK, Norway, New Zealand and Australia whilst also attending competitions in France and Germany over the years too.

I have represented Scotland many times in team tests and six nations events, but 2019 was the first time I represented Scotland at world championship level, finishing second in the individual and team events.

I said to myself in 2019, that the next time I would do better, and that I did.

It’s all a distant memory now and I almost feel as though I never got to experience the full joy of becoming a World Champion, it was rather overwhelming! Being awarded Master Woolhandler is an incredible feeling to be recognised for all the hard work, commitment and the sacrifices made over the years to gain the title of World Champion.

Can you tell our readers what wool handling is?

Wool handling is the gathering, rolling and packing of the fleece wool at shearing time, ensuring the correct presentation of the fleece to maximise as much of a return as possible for the wool harvest, all whilst assisting the shearer to make their job as easy as possible.

What does it take to be a World Champion?

It takes a lot of determination and self-belief to become a world champion. You need to set a goal, and it takes a lot of focus on the day of competition. Nothing else matters, it’s just you, the shearers and the fleece wool that exist when you step onto that board to compete.

The northern hemisphere competitors had great success at the World Championships last year with both individual and teams finals having no southern hemisphere competitors. How do you think we will fare in the upcoming World Championships in Masterton, New Zealand 2026?

Wool handling is a completely different ball game in New Zealand. However, if the team put the hard yards in, adapt and learn the country specific standards prior to the event, I believe they can succeed again having the proper mindset and using the right technique.

With the current value of wool being so low, do you see a place for wool handlers in the future?

It’s a shame the wool values now are so low, but farmers need to ensure their wool is presented in the best possible way to maximise their return. I believe without a wool handler, the quality of the wool presented for sale would be lower, resulting in an even lower end value. Having worked in the wool depot myself I have seen this first hand. You can tell the difference between wool packed by a professional wool handler and that of a person with less experience, resulting in wool being graded into a category realising a poorer price.

What advice would you give to young people coming into the industry?

It’s not always easy, but the hard days are worth it. Just think of the stories you’ll be able to tell in the future. The shearing and woolhandling industry is just a big family, and it’s amazing where it can take you. The people you meet and the friends you make along the way are amazing. The amount of people I’ve met that could honestly write a book on their experiences over the years is unreal. So that could be you one day. Just stick in!

Alison McNeil MBE

Alison winning fourth place Toowoomba at Golden Shears International Woolhandling competition

The late Alison McNeil (nee Jappy) was awarded Master Woolhandler for outstanding efforts in her competitive career, her dedication and abilities in her time as a professional woolhandler, as well as her efforts in starting the woolhandling competitions we now see across the UK today.

Her woolhandling career included seven seasons working and competing in New Zealand across both fine and strong wool breeds of sheep, this set her up as a formidable competitor.

With her interest in wool handling starting at Lairhope, Hawick, where she grew up, and where her dad, David Jappy was a shepherd, she developed a natural flair for working with wool, and Alison achieved exceptional scores in competition. Her fleeces were so securely fastened, judges often struggled to untuck them for further inspection. Being ahead of her time, her skill was arguably far more appreciated in Australia and New Zealand than in Scotland.

Alison together with Browen Tango, Bryan Williams and the late Dave Turner were instrumental in the establishment of Wool handling in UK, penning the first edition of aims, objectives and rules which we still largely use to this day.

Winning the inaugural Woolhandling competition at the Black Isle show in 1997 led to her selection as part of a two shearer, two woolhandler team for the World Championships in Gorey, Ireland in 1998, claiming fourth.

Other notable achievements at World Championship level saw her take fifth in South Africa, 2000, third in Scotland, 2003, and fifth in Australia, 2005. One of Alison's most meaningful achievements was that of coming fourth in the International Woolhandling event at the Golden Shears, Toowoomba, Australia 2005, competing against those that did finewool woolhandling as a career.

Following a decade as national Woolhandling Champion Alison, retired from the competition circuit and took a role within the British Wool Marketing Board as a judge and woolhandling instructor.

Through shearing travels, she met and married Graham McNeil, and together ran a successful shearing business in the Castle Douglas area, running three crews employing both New Zealanders and locals. Graham was key in getting the master title awarded, something which many in the industry believed was long overdue.

Alison was also recognised for her outstanding efforts through the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. She was a key liaison in the South West region, working together with Defra and NFU helping to control the spread of the horrific disease. For this, she was awarded an MBE.