After countless long, hot days working in shearing sheds, Carol Mudford reckons she has the best job in the world.

The physical work is satisfying, while the act of carefully shearing a sheep has a unique way of focusing the mind.

“We have this amazing community — our shed family — we get to travel the country and the world,” Ms Mudford said.

“Going to work is pumping music, good people and adventure.”

But wool sheds were not always a natural setting for vulnerable conversations, something Ms Mudford noticed among her colleagues when she took up shearing during a career break from nursing.

When three shearers took their own lives in quick succession in late 2023, Ms Mudford combined her skills to establish the sHedway charity to run mental health and suicide prevention workshops in farm sheds across Australia.

After hosting more than 70 workshops in two years, Ms Mudford won the prestigious Rural Women’s Award at a ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra.

Ms Mudford, from Dubbo, western NSW, said her background in health and on the land put her in an ideal position to help others.

“It’s about having a go and many hands making light work, contributing to community for everyone’s wellbeing,” she said.

“But I didn’t know if it would work, I didn’t know if anyone would listen to me as a learner shearer, a woman in a male-dominated world.”

Knowing her way around a shed and showing genuine care helped her break down “she’ll be right” attitudes and stigma.

“That is credit to people in the shearing industry,” she said.

“We do hard things every day, so we can do this.

“We have big hearts and we care about each other, no one wants to lose anyone else.”

Her new title would help further highlight the work of shearers and wool handlers and their critical place in the agriculture industry, she said.

The AgriFutures award, in its 25th year, recognises women’s leadership across agriculture, rural business and in country communities.

The runner-up prize was awarded to Isabella Thrupp, the founder of workwear brand Prinking in Pindan.

While co-managing Leopold Downs station, in Western Australia’s Kimberley region, Ms Thrupp often found herself talking to other female ringers about the difficulties of finding clothes tough enough for outback work.

“We were all working in men’s jeans because women’s jeans are just fashion denim and they weren’t lasting,” she said.

“I was going through so many pairs of jeans ... I thought we deserved better.”

Ms Thrupp created a line of functional and durable clothing, including hardy and flattering jeans that have reached 10,000 women across Australia.

But her work was about more than just clothes, she said.

“Women are out there working rural and remote, even though you don’t see them,” she said.

“We’re in the shadows a little bit, you think about a station and you think about a man’s world.

“But nowadays, there’s a lot more women.”

Applications for the 2026 award close on Friday, November 7.

Lifeline 13 11 14

Beyondblue 1300 22 4636

– with Stephanie Gardiner and AAP

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Wednesday, 12th January 2028

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