Letter From Nancy Bennet

I have had a request from our Coloured Wool representative to post the following letter....

Dear SACSOS Members

As you are well aware the proposed closure of the scour at CSIRO at Geelong will mean an end to all small scale commercial processing of coloured wool here in Australia in future. The only possibility will be to send wool to New Zealand for processing which will be a very complex and expensive option and ultimately "in the too hard basket".

We realise that we ( Bennett & Gregor ) are one of only a few producers who process coloured wool here in SA at present, and we stand to lose most when a significant part of our livelihood comes to an end with the closure. However there are many other producers of coloured wool, alpaca, cashmere, fine Merino, Mohair and other rare fibres who will be similarly affected in Vic, NSW, WA and Tasmania , as will the small mills in Victoria who will have no work left to do in spinning yarn, carding slivers, processing carded wool batts etc. In turn,that means there will be no processed fibre materials available, other than raw fleece, for craftspeople to use to create and sell felted goods, knitted garments etc . The knock on effect will be felt by large numbers of people who use and/or sell processed fibres including high end specialty fashion retailers, craft retailers, craft groups, textile artists, feltmakers, knitting guilds, felting guilds, sheltered workshops, craft supply shops, schools, Textile students, fairs, markets and charities.

Here in SA within SACSOS it will probably see the end of the Royal Show Stand, and other fairs & markets, and a further decline in membership of both sheep & wool producers and craftspeople. Other than selling a few fleeces to handspinners there will be nowhere to go to value add in the coloured wool industry and no incentive to encourage new members or new breeders.

Interstate it will have a very detrimental effect at many venues e.g. at the Australian Sheep & Wool Show in Bendigo in the craft suppliers' halls, in the craft competitions and exhibitions and on the catwalk of the fashion parades. In Tasmania at the Salamanca markets and in the shops along the Hobart wharf there will be a big loss of income. In fact anywhere in Australia where processed rare fibres or their end products are sold the ramifications of this closure will be felt. We will have to go back to selling only raw fleece for handspinning and handfelting for making handspun/handfelted goods only.

It will be a very sad state of affairs and the end of many handcraft industries Australia wide. Throughout the Steiner Schools of Australia students will be deprived of felting batts to learn about feltmaking. I am sure that every rare fibre producer, like us, will have similar sad tales to report as they advise their regular customers here in Australia and overseas that they are out of stock and can never produce any more.

In the interests of all those involved in the rare fibre industries and all those who will be affected by the CSIRO scour closure we would appreciate it if you would read the emails which we forwarded earlier today and make your concerns known urgently to Senator Kym Carr, Tony Burke, and your local Federal Member of Parliament.

We thank Trish Esson ( Cashmere breeder) and also John French and Shirley Unthank of the BCSBAA Vic N/E group for their persistent and continued efforts on behalf of all producers in fighting against this proposed closure.

Many thanks

Nancy Bennett