HALF a century of hard work put Daryl and Irene Croake of Pyramul in the running for the prestigious Vitale Baberis Canonico wool excellence award this week.
The award, which was won by the Manning family, "Miena", Lemont, Tasmania, in Sydney on Tuesday, rewards producers of wool clips that exhibit excellence in line with the exacting fibre and preparation standards set by the Italian wool mill.
The Croakes were awarded second place.
Mr Croake, who runs 1200 Merinos at "Oak Hills", said while the Central Tablelands property was perfect for producing superfine wool, a lifetime of breeding and dedication to production had earned it its reputation.
"We put a lot of time and effort into our clip and we know exactly what's going in at all times," Mr Croake said.
The Croake's adult sheep average 16 micron and their hoggets 15.3 micron and the flock's average fleece weight is 3.3 kilograms.
During their career, more than 40 of their bales have been judged 1PP - the independent certification given to bales which are judged to be of superlative quality, style and soundness.
The finest bale of wool the Croakes have produced was in 2007 and measured 13.5 micron.
"We've put in an awful lot of effort over our 50 years of production and it's been very rewarding to see the results of our work," Mr Croake said.
Commitment to quality requires hard work and this can be seen in how the family grows its wool.
The wether portion of their flock is fitted with coats and each clip is micron tested - only the best sections of fleece make it into the bales headed for Vitale Baberis Canonico.
"We only use one shearer at a time and we check and re-check every fleece for crimp, strength, length and colour," Mr Croake said.
Coating the sheep is time consuming, with some sheep requiring three changes of coat a year.
The wethers are shorn in Septem-ber and immediately re-coated.
Ewes are shorn a month earlier using cover combs which leave two millimetres of wool on the skin for protection from the cold.
To keep in control of the genetics, the Croakes breed their own rams, in addition to buying stock from Hillcreston Park and Hillcreston studs, Bigga, and Merryville stud, Boorowa.
"Our family has sought traditional superfine rams from these studs for more than 60 years, you could say it's been a very long and successful relationship," he said.
While a great number of superfine producers have exited the industry in favour of meat sheep the Croakes are sticking with what they're so evidently good at.
"A lifetime of breeding has gone into our flock so why would we throw it all away for the sake of a couple of bad years," he said.
"We're not prepared to change because we believe the market will eventually turn around."
The Croake family has been producing superfine wool in the Pyramul district since the 1920s and David and Irene's children are set to continue the legacy.
One of their sons, Mark, is a wool producer; another son, Evan, is a wool trader, and their daughter, Megan, is a fashion designer.
"We're all passionate about it - it's in our blood."
Vitale Baberis Canonico, an Italian fabric mill established in 1663, has remained a family-owned business for 15 generations.
The company partners with a range of global fashion brands including Polo Ralph Lauren, Gucci, Armani, Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, Berluti and Herms.
All Australian wool growers who supplied their wool to the company within the 2014-15 wool selling season were eligible for the award.
Quality turns heads
DARYL and Irene Croake have received a number of industry accolades for their superfine wool during their careers and they came close again this week in the Vitale Baberis Canonico Wool Excellence Award where they were selected as finalists.
The couple (pictured) run 1200 traditional superfine Merinos at their property "Oak Hills", Pyramul, and are no strangers to the recognition, which comes with producing top quality wool.
In 1984 they were awarded the prestigious Lumb's Golden Bale in England where Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, presented their medal.
"That was our first major award and it really got us into the game - it inspired us to keep producing wool of the same quality," Mr Croake said.
They went on to win the Ermenegildo Zegna National Fleece Competition four times.
Locally, their work has paid off in the Mudgee Regional Clip Preparation Award, a whole-of-clip competition, which they've won six times.
In 2012 the Croakes were named finalists in the wool producers category of the Kondinin Australia Farmer of the Year award.
"The various awards you win along the way make it worthwhile in the long run," Mr Croake said.
Vitale Barberis Canonico is an Italian fabric mill.
The Wool Excellence Award recognises the grower whose wool exhibits extreme soundness, whiteness and high compressibility.
Their sale lots must display evenness of staple length and style showing quality preparation and classing.