Universal Garden Centre and Gallery 53 Shamrock Street, Blackall Qld 4472 Phone (07) 4657 4344 Fax (07) 4657 4435 Jack Howe history, display and merchandise on Australia’s most famous shearer

Jack Howe memorabilia on show

LAST year, as part of the Q150 Celebration, documents, letters and newspaper clippings once kept by Jack Howe toured Queensland as part of the State’s 150th birthday travelling exhibition.

But you don’t have to wait for another State celebration to see great memorabilia of Queensland’s most famous gun shearer. When you’re visiting Blackall, it’s as easy as visiting the Universal Garden Centre and Gallery. Blackall has long been known as Jack Howe country. Jack chose Blackall as his home base when he was shearing sheep, and he went on to become a publican and leading citizen. His grave can still be seen in the Blackall Cemetery.

In the main street of town is a bronze statue of Jack carrying a sheep – a reminder of the days when sheep were considered so valuable that they were carried to the board. The statue stands outside a building named the Universal after the pub that once stood on the same piece of ground. Jack Howe, when he retired from shearing, bought the Universal Hotel in Blackall and the ‘new’ Universal built 16 years ago by Barry and Jenny Muir is in the image of that hotel. But inside, it’s a garden centre. It is a favourite with visitors for its quaint exterior and the Jack Howe memorabilia inside. For a small admission fee, people can see historical photographs, documents and even items from the old hotel dining room. Jack Howe souvenirs include pewter figurines of Jack Howe carrying a sheep, exclusive framed prints and Jack Howe singlets. There’s even a book, “Jack Howe - the Man and the Legend”. The centre has an information area, a section on Blackall history and a small rock and fossil display.

The Muirs’ interest in the gun shearer started years ago, probably because Jenny is a daughter of Jack Howe’s youngest son, Henry. In fact, Jenny and Barry initiated the project to have Blackall’s bronze statue made, and Jenny put $15,000 towards it.

Jack Howe was most famous for the incredible shearing record of 321 sheep in seven hours and 40 minutes with blade shears at Alice Downs in 1892, but he was also the only shearer ever to set a blade and machine shearing record in the same year, for a few weeks after his stint at the Alice Downs shed, he set a machine shearing record of 237 sheep in eight hours at the Barcaldine Station. And it was the first time he had used the new, hot, hard-to-handle machine shears.

Jack was influential in the formation of a shearers’ union which eventually developed into the Australian Workers Union. He was also instrumental in having T. J. Ryan elected to the seat of Barcoo. Ryan went on to become Premier of Queensland.

And what’s the story behind the Jack Howe singlet? Jack wanted more freedom of movement from his flannel shirts so he asked his wife, Victoria, to sew short-sleeved shirts for him. Eventually, the shirts ended up with no sleeves at all. Jack’s shirts were never navy. That came later.