The Centre Plus Merino ram was shorn at Rosedale, Tullamore, by Aaron Davison, Trundle, for owner, Doug Mortimer, its fleece weighing about nine kilograms.

However, it was its sheer proportions that had the shed crew in awe.

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Adam Davison, Tullamore, who features alongside fellow shearer, Sam Stevenson, Tullamore, in the photo of the fleece, was wool handling that day and quickly noticed his cousin Aaron would have his work cut out.

While Adam said he could already see the ram's fleece "was so much bigger" than normal, it wasn't until Aaron started shearing that they got a sense of just how big it was.

"When he broke out the underline, it was like 'wow'," Adam said.

"I reckon we could have fit the whole crew down [on the fleece] if we laid it down, but they were still shearing so we didn't have time to do it."

As for shearing time, it didn't take all that much longer.

"It was probably just a bit longer skirting it and everything just because it was a bit bigger," Adam said.

"It didn't really fit on the table properly, but they got through it."

The ram's fleece hadn't been shorn for about 14 months, which happened by circumstance.

Doug Mortimer is in a family partnership at Centre Plus Merinos with his brother, Mark, and father Robert.

The rams were shorn earlier last year and the ram didn't get a catch-up shearing in between.

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