Memories Are Shear Fun

When I read the story, “It’s Shear Fun in the Woolshed” (April 10) by Jeff Spurrier, it brought back memories of the wool shearing we had seen in the Agrodome in Rotorua and later at the Walter Peake High Country Farm, Queenstown, New Zealand. When I got to the paragraph: “It carries everything from homespun wool jumpers to koala dolls,” I gave a whoop of laughter. Before we went on our tour last November we asked friends in Melbourne about the weather and about what type of clothes to take.

The weather was comparable to May here, but the woman of the family added: “Be sure to bring a jumper.” Here a jumper is a dress with cutout sleeves and deep-cut neck under which is worn a blouse or sweater. I couldn’t find any jumpers in any of our department stores or boutiques. In Melbourne it was rainy and chilly. My friend asked: “Why didn’t you bring a jumper?” It was impossible to find, I told her. “Your husband is wearing one,” she said. “You should have gotten a man’s jumper then.” So I found out . . . a jumper Down Under means a slipover sweater.

ROSELYNE KOCHMAN

West Hills