From Shed to Museum: A Lifetime in Wool Saved for Future Generations

Mike Smith, a retired livestock agent and wool showfloor manager from South Australia, had spent over 50 years in the wool industry.

As the industry changed, Mike began saving the tools and equipment that others discarded — turning his shed into a living museum of shearing heritage.

With Toganmain’s restoration underway, Mike and his wife Carol offered to donate their collection. It includes jute woolpacks, bale openers and closers, wool pikes, wool books, old stencils, a hand truck, and even battered Akubras and larstins. They hoped to pass through Darlington Point later in the year to deliver everything, giving the collection a permanent home.