Bede and Annie Chamberlain are passionate about wool.
Mr Chamberlain has spent his career in the industry while his wife, a school teacher, shared his love for the fibre.
So when Jim Paterson asked if they were interested in buying his wool business Brian Redding Ltd, they took the opportunity.
They were excited about continuing to offer the service in Gore, both to existing clients and welcoming new ones.
The current state of the wool industry has been well documented, but Mr Chamberlain said if he did not have confidence in its future, he would not have got into it.
There had been more talk about wool in the past six months than in the past several years, Mr Chamberlain said.
Increasingly, people were becoming more aware of the sustainable qualities of the fibre and what products could be made from crossbred wool, Mrs Chamberlain added.
The couple believed in wool and saw a future in it. They did not want to look back in 20 years and rue that they did not give the business a go, she said.
Their catchment covered Eastern Southland, West Otago and some of South Otago. While conversion of dairy had transformed some of what had traditionally been sheep country, Mr Chamberlain said the biggest threat now was trees.
But there were still passionate farmers who loved their sheep; there had to be that passion, otherwise they would not be doing it, he said.
For them, it was not just about clients, but being part of the rural community and often those relationships developed into friendships.
They already had well-established relationships in the area and they had been heartened by the community support for their acquisition.
And they were thrilled to still have Mr Paterson as ‘‘like a mentor’’ — another man very passionate about the wool industry — and to be able to tap into his knowledge, Mrs Chamberlain said.
