John Robert "Jackie" Howe (26 July 1861 (?) – 21 July 1920) was a legendary

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n sheep shearer at the end of the 19th century. He shot to fame in pre-

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

Australia in 1892 when he broke the daily and weekly shearing records across the colonies. Howe was born at

Killarney Killarney ( ; ga, Cill Airne , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Ross Cast ...

near

Warwick, Queensland Warwick ( ) is a town and locality in southeast Queensland, Australia, lying south-west of Brisbane. It is the administrative centre of the Southern Downs Region local government area. The surrounding Darling Downs have fostered a strong agr ...

. On 10 October 1892, Howe had shorn 321 sheep in seven hours and 40 minutes at Alice Downs station, near

Blackall, Queensland Blackall is a rural town and locality in the Blackall-Tambo Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Blackall had a population of 1,416 people. The town is the service centre for the Blackall-Tambo Region. The dominant industry ...

. This was a faster tally than any other shearer had achieved before. In the week beforehand, Howe also set the weekly record, shearing 1,437 sheep in 44 hours and 30 minutes. Howe's daily record was beaten by

Ted Reick TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depart ...

in 1950, but Reick was using machine shears, while Howe's hand shears were little more than

scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutti ...

. According to the Australian Dictionary of Biography, Howe's weekly record stood unbeaten as of 2005. In October 2015, Howe's record was reported as still unbeaten after 123 years. Howe was active during the shearer strikes of the 1891 and 1894, and was a committed

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ist. After Howe's death, Queensland Premier

T. J. Ryan Thomas Joseph Ryan (1 July 1876 – 1 August 1921) was an Australian politician who served as Premier of Queensland from 1915 to 1919, as leader of the state Labor Party. He resigned to enter federal politics, sitting in the House of Represe ...

said, in a telegram to Howe's widow, "I have lost a true and trusted friend and Labor has lost a champion". Jackie Howe was the subject of a book, ''Jack Howe: The Man and the Legend'', by

Barry Muir Barry Muir (18 September 1937 – 2 September 2022) was an Australian professional rugby league footballer and coach. An Australian and Queensland representative , he played in twenty-two Tests between 1959 and 1964, as captain on two occasions. ...

, and a bronze statue, on display in

Blackall Blackall is a rural town and locality in the Blackall-Tambo Region, Queensland, Australia. In the the locality of Blackall had a population of 1,416 people. The town is the service centre for the Blackall-Tambo Region. The dominant industry ...

. Jackie Howe's father, Jack Howe, was also a shearer and a

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

with La Rosier's

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclist ...

, claiming to be the first clown to travel the Australian colonies, and was town-crier in

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined with Leamington Spa and Whi ...

. Jackie Howe owned a pub, The Barcoo Hotel, in

, Queensland. There is now a statue there of him holding a sheep.''The Day the Llama Spat in Jack Howe's Hair''
, Queensland heritage stories o
abc.net.au
. Accessed 29 April 2006.

Clothing

Jackie Howe became the name given to navy blue singlet tops.''Jacky Howe''
, entry on Australian National Dictionary Centre website. Accessed 4 June 2007. According to legend, this is what Jackie was wearing on the day he broke the shearing record. They are still popular today among Australian men.

Notes

References

* MacDougall, A. K., (2005), ''An Anthology of Classic Australian Folklore''.
Blackall-related publications, including ''Jack Howe''
on th
Blackall Shire Council website
Accessed 29 April 2006.

includes list of Howe-related achievements of Barry Muir. Fro

Accessed 29 April 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Howe, Jack 1861 births 1920 deaths Sheep shearers People from Queensland