Nicki Guttler’s successful world-record attempt at Parkdale SRS Merino Stud in the Gilgandra Shire recently was another opportunity for a relatively new shearing industry-specific mental health not-for-profit organisation to share its powerful message. 

While Nicki Guttler was able to shear 450 merino lambs in eight hours on December 21, 2024, she also helped raise $4,280 for and promoted awareness of the sHedway charity.

Carol Mudford is the founder and chief executive officer of sHedway, which began as a social media page called sHedspace in December 2023.

sHedway was formed to support positive mental health and suicide prevention in the shearing industry.

Don Mudford at Parkdale SRS Merino Stud is Carol’s uncle, a handy connection.

Carol grew up at Curban but left when she was eight and returned in 2020, to help her family care for her father, the late Max Mudford (Don’s brother). Max was a sheep, wool and cropping farmer in the Gilgandra district.

Carol found work as a roustabout and shearer with her cousin (and shearing contractor) Steven Mudford upon her return. A registered nurse, she “got the bug” and sheared for 18 months. She then returned to nursing within mental health in 2023.

Having a unique perspective on the challenges of both mental health and the shearing industry and knowing people that have died due to suicide set her on the path to start sHedway.

“Having a foot in both worlds inspired me to do something for the sheds,” Carol said.

“It just went from there.”

sHedspace grew into sHedway. Across the last 12 months, sHedway has been to 42 shearing events across Australia.

There are a team of volunteers that attend events and talk about suicide prevention and also how to recognise when someone is struggling and the process of speaking to them about it and linking them to support services.

The sessions include a Toolbox Talk that is taken to shearing schools and sHedway is building to facilitate more workshops and sharing skills.

“We have incredible support from the shearing industry,” she said.

“Unfortunately, (it is) because most people know someone who has died by suicide and they want to do something about it. So what sHedway is doing is making it normal to talk about mental health in the sheds and sharing the skills so we can all recognise help someone who might be struggling.”

Since October, 2024, Carol has been back working in the sheds and continues to run sHedway voluntarily.

sHedway is now registered as a not-for-profit organisation, with money raised by the community going into the organisation’s programs. “The shearing industry has a big heart,” Carol said.

As a fellow female shearer, Carol said she enjoyed watching Nicki Guttler break the World Sheep Shearing Records Society Incorporated (WSSRSI) record for a female shearing Merino lambs in eight hours. 

“It was amazing to see, an incredible effort,” Carol said.

sHedway is most visible through its social media pages.

If you or anyone you know needs help, outside of sHedway, please contact:

13 11 14 Lifeline, lifeline.org.au

1300 78 99 78 MensLine, mensline.org.au

1300 224 636 Beyond Blue, beyondblue.org.au/forums

1800 551 800 Kids Helpline, kidshelpline.com.au

1800 011 511 Mental Health Line

13YARN(13 92 76), counseling support for Indigenous Australians. 13yarn.org.au

1300 659 467 Suicide Callback Service, suicidecallbackservice.org.au

1300 727 247 Standby Support After Suicide, standbysupport.com.au

1800 805 801 Thirrili’s Postvention Suicide Support, thirrili.com.au