TasTAFE learner Olivia Baker is Australia’s best young merino fleece judge

Olivia Baker wearing her winning sash, at the Wool Solutions Wool Store at Western Junction.

Congratulations to TasTAFE learner Olivia Baker, winner of the 2025 National Merino Fleece Young Judges Championships, held at the Royal Adelaide Show on 4 September.

This annual Agricultural Shows Australia event celebrates Australia’s best young wool-classing talent and encourages entrants to pursue a career as a professional wool classer.

Representing Tasmania and at just 16 years old – the youngest entrant in the competition – Olivia against 6 other competitors from around Australia, all of whom were under 25.

Across an intense day of competition, Olivia assessed merino fleeces for the desired characteristics – including style, yield, colour, length and strength – and she finished on top!

Olivia will soon complete her Certificate IV in Wool Classing studying at TasTAFE’s Alanvale Campus in Launceston and the Wool Solutions Wool Store at Western Junction. She has been working closely with TasTAFE Primary Industries teacher Evelyn Archer, who helped Olivia prepare for the competition.

“I have no doubt that studying wool classing at TasTAFE helped Olivia win this event – learning about fleece characteristics is key,” Evelyn said. “In recent workshops, I’ve also been encouraging her to speak more confidently – public speaking, presenting her reasoning, was part of the competition.”

Public speaking isn’t something that comes naturally to Olivia.

“I was really nervous, with everyone watching,” she said. “And after I read my speech, I was thinking, ‘I'm definitely not going to win this...’. Then when they called out ‘Tasmania’, my face lit up and I was just overwhelmed with joy!

“My mum, my cousin and my younger sister came along to watch – and when they called out ‘Tassie’, I looked at mum and she was in tears.”

Olivia lives in Oatlands in Tasmania’s midlands and has grown up immersed in farm life.

“I've lived there pretty much my whole life,” she said. “My pop works on a farm, and I usually go up there every couple of weekends. And I’ve been working in the shearing sheds on farms around shearing time.”

In the sheds and at TasTAFE, Olivia has clearly learned a lot about wool. “Younger sheep produce stronger wool. Then as they get older, the crimp definition fades and it’s not as tight and as wavy – the fleeces can stretch out and not be as strong,” she said.

Once she’s completed her TasTAFE training, Olivia plans to bring her new skills to working life.

“I’ll have a better understanding what I'm looking for in a good fleece, and it will give me opportunities to get more classing work in the sheds. And I want to do the Young Judges Championships again, to give me more of an idea of what I'm looking for.”

Congratulations again on the win in Adelaide, Olivia, and on your growing wool-classing expertise – your future is looking bright!