Nilmini De Silva, Portraits of Shearers (PEOPLE 2024)

It was an absolute privilege to get an insight too life on a farm and to be granted permission to photograph the shearing this winter at Callubri Station. I spent my time building connections with the shearers, listening to their stories and appreciating their nomadic way of life. Back in the day, if a ’sheila’ entered a shearing shed, the blokes would yell, ‘ducks on the pond” as a signal that the swearing should stop and the men should clean up their act. Those days are long gone now. I noticed an easy camaraderie and a wonderful working relationship between the team.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.