POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Pair of mens shearing moccasins

Object No. 97/311/1

The genesis of these moccasins, colloquially referred to as ‘mocs’, evolved from Chris Musgrove’s hobby of leather work which led him to make improvements to the traditional shearer’s belt. Chris was a ‘gun’ shearer, a professional shearer who removes a fleece in two to three minutes or less without cutting or marking the sheep. Chris’ hobby led to a modification of the traditional shearer’s moccasins. He used to accidentally cut the laces on his moccasins especially when shearing lambs. He modified a pair of his own moccasins and other shearers liked the idea and wanted them. The flap over the top of the moccasins not only stops the cutting of laces but also stops the laces gumming up with lanolin so makes them easier to undo at the end of the day. These moccasins are made from synthetic felt. The traditional moccasins were made from wool bale caps, not leather, when wool bales were made from jute rather than the modern material used today. Chris started designing and manufacturing his moccasins around 1993. At the time, Chris and his wife Tammy Musgrove, spent the entire year travelling from Mildura to outback Queensland and New South Wales then back to Victoria and Tasmania. He and Tammy established Musgrove Supplies in 1993, later renamed as Musgrove Shearing Supplies in 1995 and incorporated as a company on 18 July 1997. The Musgrove’s company started in their caravan while travelling to mostly large outback shearing sheds. While Chris sheared, Tammy was wool handling and later became a wool classer. Since finishing shearing as a career, their manufacturing has been based in Mildura. In 2020, Chris and Tammy manufacture a range of moccasins with and without flaps along with other shearing accessories, all under the Gunrunner brand. Roger Leong, Senior Curator, 2020 References Email correspondence from Tammy Musgrove, 19 & 23 November, 2020 https://www.shearingsupplies.com.au/buyonline/shop?page=shop.browse&category_id=22&keyword=&manufacturer_id=0&orderby=product_list&start=20, Accessed 27/11/2020.