Kirsty Bone, originating from a cropping farm north of Nhill, Woorak West, discovered her early interest in the shearing industry through her father’s part-time shearing work on the family farm. Graduating from Nhill College in 2009, she initially took a gap year at ABA (similar to GrainCorp) before venturing into hairdressing due to societal expectations for girls. However, a trip to New Zealand with her brother reignited her passion for the shearing sheds.
In pursuit of her dream to work alongside her family in the shearing industry, Kirsty enrolled at Longerenong College during her salon days, balancing work and learning to become a classer. Her vision of creating a shearing team with her brothers became a reality, and for about eight years, they worked side by side. Kirsty began her wool classing journey at Longy in 2013 under the guidance of Craig Mackley, completing her Cert IV in Wool Classing by the end of 2014.
Currently working for Quality Shearing based around Balmoral, Kirsty alternates between classing and woolhandling depending on the requirements of each shed. Her passion lies in competition wool handling, where she has excelled and achieved the title of Victorian State Open Wool handling champion in 2023. She shares this achievement with her brother Josh, who won the Open Shearing state title on the same day, marking a historic moment as the first brother-sister duo to achieve this feat.
Kirsty dreams of making the Australian Team with Josh, and her proudest moment to date is winning the team event at the 2023 nationals with him. Her advice to others is to follow their passion, ignore naysayers, and embrace change when needed. Kirsty believes in being true to oneself, emphasising that hard work, passion, and commitment can lead to success in any dream if one believes in themselves. Her journey exemplifies resilience, determination, and the pursuit of one’s true passion.