Diary of the Wooly Bully
Dear Diary,
I began my life as a fibreglass mould. I was the shape of an adult female bovine, a cow. I was created in the Philippines, a Southeast Asian country in the Western Pacific, which is comprised of more than 7,000 islands.
I was not alone. There were many others the same as me. I was not unique. I was not different. There were little ones also, just a smaller version of me.
My first realisation of a world outside of my factory was after we were all wrapped up in plastic (bubble wrap to be exact) and moved by many men outside to where a truck was waiting.
One by one, the men lifted us up onto the truck and took a short journey to where a very large shipping container was waiting. We were all loaded in and packed very tightly. The door shut.
My next sensation was that of the container being raised high into the air (this I found out later was true- we were being loaded onto a great ship).
The journey across the ocean took many days and nights and right when I thought that it would never end we were still. The huge metal door opened and the sunlight came pouring in. A truck was waiting for us and again we were loaded up. We were in Sydney!
My travels did not stop there. We were loaded and unloaded many more times and each time less and less of us were there. It seemed like we were being spread about the new country we were in. My last truck ride left just a calf and I together and when we finally stopped and the driver jumper in to lift me out we were surrounded by many very excited students and staff.
This apparently was to become my new home.
Beaudesert State High School is a very long way from the Philippines. The students commented about how far I had come as they pulled off my ‘Made in the Philippines’ sticker.
The students all helped to lift me onto a red tractor. I had fun riding the tractor through the school. There were so many students and they kept coming out of the buildings to watch me go past.
After a while we stopped and I was taken inside a large building filled with books. I soon learned that this place was called a library. The students unwrapped me from the plastic I was covered in. It was then that I met Bullinda the robotic cow. She was the same shape and height I was. She was the same as me but instead of being just white, she was covered in cogs, lights and a huge cotton harvester with black wheels. The most amazing thing about her though was when a student pushed a button on her side she moved and lights came on and sounds could be heard. Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined that a plain fibre glass cow mould could be so grand!
I wonder what the students had in store for me. I wondered what their plans were.
Till next time,
Wooly Bully.
Dear Diary,
The students have been super busy over the last few days. They have an outlined image of both my left and right side and have been sketching and drawing.
I apparently are being designed into something to do with ‘The Wool Industry’. They say that this is my given industry. I wait in anticipation to see what they come up with. I hope that I will look as amazing as Bullinda from last year.
Dear Diary,
My home is a colourful classroom down at the schools Agricultural Department. Here the students always seem happy and relaxed. There are many animals here and they students seem to enjoy spending time with them. Outside of my classroom is where the back of the cattle truck lives when not in use.
Dear Diary,
Today the students all took me outside to the veranda where they painted me in a white under coat. They did this twice. He students seem to really care about me and fussed over me quite a lot.
Yesterday was a very big experience for me. I got to meet Mr Stocker and Mr Kruger for the first time. I was taken by tractor ( I do love going on the tractor) up to a place called ‘T Block’. Here Mr Stocker and Mr Kruger took a good long look at me and the next thing they were drawing an outline on each of my sides. Mr Stocker then got some very heavy duty looking equipment and cut out my sides!
Lots and lots of painting!
These students are always smiling!
I was then fitted with a big flat board. I cannot imagine what this is for.
They didn’t stop there though. I am now also missing my lower jaw.
This is the outside of my classroom. At the moment I get brought out here every day, twice a day. The sunshine is so nice.
The students love to look through my now very open middle.
Dear Diary,
I have come to the conclusion that Mr Stocker loves cutting bits off me! It seems that whenever I see him I become a little bit lighter and he removes something. Today it was my left ear.
He played around with my jaw for a bit too. He seemed to be sizing it up. He did not stick it back on though. He has plans for it.
My left side, my jaw and my ear are all in my middle!
Dear Diary,
Students have now seemed to have made up their minds as to what they want to do with the outside of me.
They have begun drawing pictures and images onto my white body. There is a lot of concentration going on.
Here I am getting a very important image drawn in between my eyes.
It will be the Woolmark Pure Wool Logo.
In 1963 it was designed to be the symbol of quality wool that is exported throughout the world. It is a very important symbol to be given and I am proud to wear it.
Right in the middle of my forehead sits such an important image!
Back to ‘T Block’ again. Decisions, decisions.
My Jaw is placed back in but not fixed back to the rest of me. It seems that more will be happening to it.
Mr Kruger is taking a moment to think things over.
I think I may be complicated. I am not sure yet as why.
Maybe it has something to do with all the bits that Mr Stocker takes off me?
This is a very weird shot of the inside of me. Mr Stocker, Mr Kruger and Mrs Perkins are starting to build things inside of me.
Dear Diary,
The students are with me every day, twice a day (except Mondays during morning tea- not sure why).
They are now mixing paint- this takes so long. Everyone has to agree and if someone does not then they mix again.
Computers are brought in and the students spend a lot of time researching information and photos.
Some days there are so many students working around me they find it hard to move!
I am feeling very popular. I do like all of the attention.
The students do seem to be enjoying themselves though.
This is a funny photo!
I have a hole in my guts, my ear is off and I have a strange smile with my jaw missing!
I am getting my hooves painted black though.
Dear Diary,
Back to ‘T Block’ and things are starting to become clear.
Today I had it all explained to me by the students.
I am being turned into a shearing shed!
How amazing and awesome!
Mr Stocker, Mr Kruger and Mrs Perkins made me a roof.
It did not take long to make but it will sure look great when it is fitted!
I wonder if it will keep the rain off, not that we have had any for a very long time. I hope that it rains soon as I understand that the rain on a tin roof sounds wonderful!
Mr Stocker cutting the wood to size. This school has some amazing equipment!
Drilling the underside of the roof into place. This will support the tin.
My very own tin roof!
Here the apex and wooden frame has been added with the tin to see what the end product will look like. Mr Kruger looks happy with it!
The students researched and found this image. I am told that this is my shearing shed. There are yards, a ramp and a little set of stairs to get into the shed. I don’t know how they are going to do it but it is going to look great when it is done!
I don’t know what the thing on the bottom is though. They haven’t explained that bit to me yet. Mr Stocker gave it a tick so it must be good.
There has been a lot of talk from the students about what they want in my shearing shed. I am getting a wool table, a wool press and even some shearers.
Mr Stocker wanted a Border Collie so a Border Collie he shall have!
Way back now boy, bring them in!
Dear Diary,
Well you wouldn’t believe it!
I have had a book written about me!
Check out the front cover!
That is me and I am smiling because I am OVER THE MOON!
Thank you Mrs Pendreigh for all of your hard work!
My new book is even published!!!!!
This is my book’s dedication.
This is the very first page!
The students can go to our library to read this amazing tale about my adventures.
Dear Diary,
Today was a very exciting day for the students!
We had our shearer, Mr Tim Nicholson, come and shear all of our sheep.
He spent half the day with us and taught the students all about shearing.
He even had to do our ram who is quite large!
This is the ram. His name is ‘The Ram’.
He does not like pats very much though.
This is Tim the shearer. He has just shorn all of our ewes.
The Ram is next.
This is Tim the shearer’s harness.
He uses it to help take the weight off his back.
This stops him from then having a sore back from shearing.
This is the over head motor that powers the hand piece that is used to take the wool off the sheep.
This is Tim’s handpiece.
It has done a lot of work today.
Blades will now need to be sharpened for Tim’s next run.
All of the wool has now been baled.
The students just need to clean up the last bit.
I am not sure why the sweep and broom are lying down!
Check out this little clip below of Tim shearing!
Click on the link to see.
The ewes have been put back into their paddock.
Time for some lunch.
This is NOT a sheep.
This is Charlie.
He watched the whole entire time our sheep were being shorn.
He is very quite and the students love him.
Charlie again.
Seeing I am showing you around I will included a few more of the friends that I have made.
Here are some more of the ewes that were shorn today.
Their haircuts do look great.
One of our young steers with his woolly winter coat.
Some of our new babies.
The students spend many mornings and lunch hours with the new calves.
They love them to bits and the calves get so much handling.
There is not just sheep and cattle at this school but poultry also!
Hens laying us eggs! Thank you hens.
Dear Diary,
Back again to ‘T Block’. Mr Kruger came at me with a drill and drilled a hole right into the centre of my Woolmark logo. This concerned me at first but Mr Kruger knows what he is doing.
Everything that gets done to me has a purpose and slowly it is all coming together.
Don’t move a muscle Woolinda!
A motor is being fitted to a panel that will one day be an inner wall of my shearing shed.
Another motor on my insides.
Some of Mr Kruger’s very important equipment.
He uses these to test my motors.
That funny looking thing that Mr Stocker gave a tick ages ago……..well it turned out to be a piece of acrylic and it is for a little pond that the students are making for me.
Here is had been stuck on with glue and it is now getting weighed down to make it stick. That machine in the background heated it up as my rump is curved and the acrylic is flat. It needed to be heated to it could sit correctly on rump.
The students had positioned the rocks and even some little ducks for my pond.
Have you worked it out yet?
I have ‘Ducks on the pond’!
The flapping duck seemed to be a bit of a pest for Mrs Perkins.
He refused to stick down for anyone so tape it was.
Dear Diary,
Another exciting day for the students.
The Beaudesert Times (the local paper) came out and did a story on me and all the students that have been working so hard on me.
You can even check the story out on the internet and there are lots of photos!
https://www.beaudeserttimes.com.au/story/5586360/beef-dressed-up-as-lamb/#slide=1
Dear Diary,
Today was a very special day. Our young farming champion, Deanna Johnston came all the way out from Longreach to speak to the students.
She talked all about working in the Wool Industry and what is was like to not only be a shearer but also a wool classer. The students had such a wonderful time with her and were quite sad when she left.
She is an amazing young lady and today she inspired many young minds!
Students asked many questions and genuinely valued every thing that Deanna spoke about.
Deanna even took the time to be interviewed for our school newsletter.
We would have loved to just have Deanna stay with us! She is an incredible young lady!
Group photos with me!
When Deanna had to leave it was back to work working on me.
This student was so involved in painting my udder she accidently put her hair into the paint!
Dear Diary,
Friday afternoons are the greatest! Every Friday afternoon a group of primary school students from Hillview State School drive out and spend time with us helping to paint and work on me.
It is so much fun and all of the students get along with each other so well!
Such concentration!
Sanding my fence posts.
Mr Charles showing the students how to saw the wood correctly to build the stairs to make it easier for the shears to get into the shearing shed.
The students are learning so many different skills while they work on me.
Researching for my blog.
Seriously, you don’t have to get that close for me to take your picture.
Some more cute babies that look sort of like me!
Too cute!
Dear Diary,
My face is starting to come along nicely now.
Mr Stocker takes my jaw on and off every so often.
I also now have some eyes. Some of the students are getting a little anxious and they say that I need to be finished soon.
I have worked out that I am part of a competition and that the students are working hard to make their school proud. They take a lot of pride in me. It is wonderful to see so many students working together. They are all different ages and they all have different ideas but they are all learning how to work as a team to get me finished.
This is my rump.
Mrs Perkins took this photo and did not tell me until after.
Yes I do have a big bit of metal poking out of it but I am pleased that it is there.
I am going to be just like Bullinda Bullguard from 2017……my tail will swish!
The wonderful students from Hillview are now making me a wool table!
This is currently inside of me. It is a battery box.
I will be a solar powered cow and the solar energy from the sun will charge the batteries that will sit inside of this box inside of me.
This helps me to be sustainable!
No electricity needed.
This is Alex.
Remember that Mr Stocker wanted a Border Collie so the students got him one.
He looked originally like a wolf and a very kind student changed that.
He is only small but he has a big job ahead of him.
Mr Kruger is a super Mathematician as well as a Robotics and Electronics super star.
Here he is working out the measurements that Alex will need for his run.
Alex is after all a working dog.
I do hope that he doesn’t chase my ducks.
Alex is put into place.
I am relieved that he has no interest in poultry whatsoever as he is needed to bring in a ram from my yards.
‘Way back boy, get around’!
Dear Diary,
Very super exciting!
This year the boys from Ag Mechanics have designed one of their derby cars as Bullinda!
Bullinda the derby car will compete at the Beaudesert Show.
Don’t mess with her or you’ll get the horns!
I hope that they do the same for me next year!
Good luck boys, I hope your Bullinda is the last car running!
Dear Diary,
Well so much has happened in these last few weeks.
Our wonderful Derby cars unfortunately were not able to race. Even though that sounds sad the reason is good.
We had so much rain that night, events at the show had to be cancelled. All except of course the fireworks.
We needed the rain so bad, I don’t think that a single person complained. It was good rain too!
Our derby cars may appear at Boonah show next year. I know the students are super keen.
My story though has changed.
In the last few weeks so much has been done to me I barely resemble the blank cow canvas that I once was.
The students have spent so many hours on me and making things by hand for me that I barely recognise myself any more.
They have made me into something very special.
I feel their absolute pride when they are with me.
Their school principal came to visit me the other day and I could feel the students pride in explaining all that I am and what I can now do.
I have had so many visitors that I have now lost count.
And to top it all off…..our school lambs are being born.
Such happy times.
My hopes are for the future and with what the students have created me to be, I hope that I can do the Australian Wool Industry and Beaudesert State High School proud.
I thank every student that has laid a hand on me or contributed to what I am today.
I am Woolinda, created by the students of Beaudesert State High School.
I represent the Australian Wool Industry.
