DUKE WITH SHEARS

Taranaki Daily News, 12 November 1934, Page 14

DUKE WITH SHEARS

SHEEP STATION VISIT. GOOD SPORT WITH SNIPE. The Duke of Gloucester thoroughly enjoyed his brief stay last week at Ercildoune, the Victorian sheep station home of Mr. Alan Currie, M-L.C. Nearly every morning the Duke went for a short gallop in the home paddocks before breakfast. Several of the best shearers of the district had been summoned to give a demonstration, and when the Duke arrived at the shearing shed he was persuaded to try his hand with the automatic shears. He did not attempt the task in real earnest, but with competent guidance he ran the machine up the nether part of a sheep by way of commencement, and the shearers of six sheep were flattered to have their job begun by ' a Royal hand. The Duke remained to see the shearing of the Merinos, whose wool will be sent to the Geelong woollen mills, which have undertaken to make him a travelling rug as a souvenir. During his short stay at Geelong the Duke will press the button in setting in motion the machinery which will weave the rug. The same day the Royal party motored 30 miles to Banongil, the Fairbairns’ property, at Skipton, and the Duke bagged 20 snipe. This was considered good shooting, as snipe have not been plentiful in recent weeks. Th»; shooters were out until dusk, and the Duke pronounced it a good day’s sport. Half a dozen snakes were encountered during the afternoon march, and the Duke did some short-range shooting in disposing of them. He had never before Rilled a snake, and he said he felt it was just murder, but he braced himself to the unaccustomed task when he was told that it was a local ritual that had to be followed for self-protec-tion. In dealing with birds, he showed himself as accurate a gun as his father.