The five honourees, Peter Black, Damien Boyle, Peter Orcher, Brian Sullivan and Mr Williams, were officially inducted at a formal dinner at Hay Services Club on Friday, October 4 and then visited the Shearing Hall of Fame at Shear Outback in Hay on Saturday morning.
Mr Williams is considered a titan in the Australian shearing industry, with some of his greatest achievements being named NSW State Champion in 1965 and winning the Australian Strongwool Championship at the Melbourne Royal Show while reclaiming the NSW title in Dubbo the same year.
He then transitioned into shearing instruction in 1973 at Echuca Technical College, where he also worked throughout the Riverina and Victoria.
Mr Williams has built a significant reputation throughout his career and has been a part of the top echelon of shearers, having left a legacy of excellence in shearing.
This honour follows his recent induction into the Mathoura Speedshear Hall of Fame in 2022.
Mr Williams reflected on his competition career, his humble beginnings and work as a shearer.
“I started off as a roustabout and then became a wool presser and then from there took on the shearing and just improved from then on,” he said.
“I shore in the sheds every day, it’s very hard work, I varied from 180 to 240 sheep a day with my highest ever day’s work being 256.”
Mr Williams was thrilled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and emphasised the magnitude that the honour represented for him personally.
“It was a nice ceremony, they had close to 100 people there, and we had dinner, then the master of ceremonies called the five of us up on stage and spoke a bit about our individual careers,” he said.
“It was an excellent night and then the next morning we went out to Shear Outback and got to see the Hall of Fame.
“It’s pretty special because they put our records, a bit about us and our career achievements into a slide-show with the other Hall of Famers, it’s very interesting to see and great to be included in it.
“It’s a fantastic honour, and it means that I have been named as one of the best shearers Australia has ever seen, and I was truly grateful to be named among my fellow shearers.”
