William Smith (shearer)
Encyclopedia
William "Deucem" Smith (1896–1947) was known as one of the most talented sheep shearers
in the world. His character and skill with the shears earned him a reputation as the greatest shearer
of the first half of the twentieth century.
, Australia
in 1896.
He sheared throughout New South Wales
and southern Queensland
between 1912 and 1947.
He spent much of his professional life working the shearing sheds around Top Naas, Lanyon, Tuggeranong
and Uriarra.
Deucem had five children: Bill, Val, Shirley, Larry and Gordon. All of his boys became shearers, taught by their father.
The nickname Deucem was coined in 1912 with the (successful) declaration that he would "deuce [out-shear] all the back-bent, bagbooted jumbuck barbers" at the Dunlop shearing shed at Darling.
Deucem's shearing
prowess is touted in the essay Champion Shearers of Australia (D'Arcy Niland
, February 1943):
Deucem spent the latter years of his life in Victoria and continued to use the nickname "Deucem" until his death.
He was interred at the Sprinvale Botanical Cemetery under the "full" name William Deucem Smith on 20 January 1949.
Deucem is survived by around 200 relatives living in and around Canberra
.
. The hall honours shearers with exceptional skill, character and contribution to the shearing industry. Nine shearers
have been inducted into the hall of fame, Deucem so far being the sole Aboriginal.
On 8 July 2005, Deucem's Hall of Fame silver shears trophy was donated at a ceremony by his family to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
In June 2006, Deucem's skill as a shearer was recognized in the form of a plaque unveiled by the ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope
. The plaque forms part of the Canberra Heritage Trails project that tells the story of Canberra
from the time of the Ngunnawal people
onward.
A Documentary about Deucem's life has been Green lit and is currently in pre production, It is being produced By Deucem's great grandson Benjamin Smith. Work has also begun on a first draft of a screenplay for a feature film based on Deucem's adventures. This is also being produced by Benjamin Smith.
Sheep shearing
Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year...
in the world. His character and skill with the shears earned him a reputation as the greatest shearer
Sheep shearer
A sheep shearer is a worker who uses -blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing.-History:...
of the first half of the twentieth century.
Biography
Deucem was born of the Muruwari Aboriginal tribe in Bourke, New South WalesBourke, New South Wales
-Transportation:Bourke can be reached by the Mitchell Highway, with additional sealed roads from town to the north , east and south . The town is also served by Bourke Airport and has Countrylink bus service to other regional centres, like Dubbo...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1896.
He sheared throughout New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and southern Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
between 1912 and 1947.
He spent much of his professional life working the shearing sheds around Top Naas, Lanyon, Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong is the southernmost town centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It comprises 19 suburbs with a total of 31,819 dwellings, housing 87,119 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory . The district occupies 117 square kilometres to the east of the...
and Uriarra.
Deucem had five children: Bill, Val, Shirley, Larry and Gordon. All of his boys became shearers, taught by their father.
The nickname Deucem was coined in 1912 with the (successful) declaration that he would "deuce [out-shear] all the back-bent, bagbooted jumbuck barbers" at the Dunlop shearing shed at Darling.
Shearing
Deucem's shearing feats include:- consistently high tallies at a time when the difficult-to-shear Vermont MerinoMerinoThe Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
was introduced, - shearing 290 studStud (animal)A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species usually imply that the animal is entire—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspring...
merinoMerinoThe Merino is an economically influential breed of sheep prized for its wool. Merinos are regarded as having some of the finest and softest wool of any sheep...
two-tooth hoggetHoggetHogget is a farming term that can refer to porcine or ovine young adult animals and may refer to:* A hog.* A live domestic sheep older than a lamb but younger that one year of age.* The meat from such an animal....
s in a single day in 1936 at Mirrool Park, near GriffithGriffith, New South WalesGriffith is a city in south-western New South Wales, Australia. It is also the seat of the City of Griffith local government area. Like the Australian capital, Canberra and the nearby town of Leeton, Griffith was designed by Walter Burley Griffin. Griffith was named after Sir Arthur Griffith the...
, and - famously shearingSheep shearingSheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year...
1430 sheep in one week with a broken right thumb.
Deucem's shearing
Sheep shearing
Sheep shearing, shearing or clipping is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a shearer. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year...
prowess is touted in the essay Champion Shearers of Australia (D'Arcy Niland
D'Arcy Niland
D'Arcy Francis Niland was an Australian novelist and short story writer, best known for The Shiralee.-Life and writing career:...
, February 1943):
Rated as one of the greatest shearers in the world, who time out of number has eclipsed records and cleaned up the best of his natural competitors... Smith is regarded as more than a champion - a phenomenon. Even rival champions pay direct tributes to him. They talk in the sheds about how he bowled over champ after champ like ninepins.
Near Drysdale, Deucem Smith, with a broken thumb on his right hand, the hand in which the handpiece is held, shore a week's tally of 1430.
Deucem spent the latter years of his life in Victoria and continued to use the nickname "Deucem" until his death.
He was interred at the Sprinvale Botanical Cemetery under the "full" name William Deucem Smith on 20 January 1949.
Deucem is survived by around 200 relatives living in and around Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
.
Recognition
In April 2005, Deucem was inducted into the Australian Shearer's Hall of Fame in Hay, NSWHay, New South Wales
Hay is a town in the western Riverina region of south western New South Wales , Australia. It is the administrative centre of Hay Shire Local Government Area and the centre of a prosperous and productive agricultural district on the wide Hay Plains....
. The hall honours shearers with exceptional skill, character and contribution to the shearing industry. Nine shearers
Sheep shearer
A sheep shearer is a worker who uses -blade or machine shears to remove wool from domestic sheep during crutching or shearing.-History:...
have been inducted into the hall of fame, Deucem so far being the sole Aboriginal.
On 8 July 2005, Deucem's Hall of Fame silver shears trophy was donated at a ceremony by his family to the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies is an independent Australian Government statutory authority. It is Australia's premier institution for information about the cultures and lifestyles of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is located on Acton...
In June 2006, Deucem's skill as a shearer was recognized in the form of a plaque unveiled by the ACT Chief Minister, Jon Stanhope
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as...
. The plaque forms part of the Canberra Heritage Trails project that tells the story of Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
from the time of the Ngunnawal people
Ngunnawal people
The Ngunnawal people are the Indigenous Australian inhabitants whose traditional lands encompass much of the area now occupied by the city of Canberra, Australia and the surrounding Australian Capital Territory...
onward.
A Documentary about Deucem's life has been Green lit and is currently in pre production, It is being produced By Deucem's great grandson Benjamin Smith. Work has also begun on a first draft of a screenplay for a feature film based on Deucem's adventures. This is also being produced by Benjamin Smith.