A YOUNG Bathurst woman who was hand-selected to compete at the Sydney Royal Easter Show has returned home from the big smoke with a third-placing under her belt.
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Emma Hawkins says it was a "high pressure competition" at Homebush, "but the atmosphere was friendly".
The TAFE NSW Bathurst graduate took part in the AWEX (Australian Wool Exchange) National Graduate Wool Classer Competition, competing against nine of the strongest wool classing graduates from across the country.
The competition, which has been running for 12 years, is an opportunity for graduates to showcase their skills at a major industry event, according to TAFE NSW.
Ms Hawkins studied a Certificate IV in Wool Classing at TAFE NSW Bathurst and was hand-selected to represent TAFE NSW in the competition at Sydney.
She is just the latest local TAFE student to compete on the big stage, following Harrison Field, who works at A.OK Metal Fabrication in the Kelso industrial estate, winning a welding gold medal last year.
"Competing at the Royal Easter Show was an incredible experience and I really enjoyed meeting the other competitors who came from all different locations and had different knowledge and experience of all different wool," she said.
"It was a high pressure competition with some very talented graduates, but the atmosphere was friendly and that helped calm my nerves.
"We had to class different types of wool into their lines and make justifications for our decisions.
"The added time pressures were daunting, but I had practised with my trainer in the lead-up to the show and I was pleased to get some positive feedback from the judges during my oral presentation.
"There were some things that I didn't practice, such as converting the clean price to the greasy price, but my TAFE NSW training kicked in and I was able to perform on the day.
"I'm really proud to come away with third place."
TAFE NSW wool classing teacher Kim Jenkins said Ms Hawkins was one of the top performing students within the Certificate IV Wool Classing cohort last year.
"It was exciting to see her progress to the Royal Easter Show," Mrs Jenkins said.
"She performed really well on the day, keeping her cool under the time restrictions and showcasing her skills as a wool classer.
"The competition was very tight on the day, so to come away with a placing is exceptional.
"The whole of Dubbo Rural Skills and Environment Campus, of which Bathurst Wool falls under, are really proud of Emma.
"We wish her well in her current studies and future wool classing pursuits."
Ms Hawkins is now studying a Bachelor of Agriculture and working at AgriWest Bathurst and her grandparents' super fine property.
"I'm really passionate about the wool industry and I'm keen to get more experience now that I have my Stencil," she said.
"In the future I'd love to keep studying and move into a research space within the industry, but for now I'm happy honing my skills."
