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Jack obviously thought a great deal about this problem and had his wife Victoria, a dressmaker, make up the shearing shirt or singlet to his specifications out of a special flannel material. Flannel was only worn by shearers for many years as they believed that even when soaked with sweat, it would prevent chills. Once the word went out through the sheds of Jack’s record and short sleeved shearing singlet he wore, men tore off their own shirt sleeves for ease of movement while shearing. When a manufacturer finally made a navy coloured cotton singlet styled much as it is today, it was called a ‘Jackie Howe’ or ‘Jacky Howe’ in deference to the famous shearer.
The rapid transition from long sleeved shirt to the short sleeved style is shown in the photograph of a team of shearers including Jack at Alice Downs after
his record tally. They wore leather garments to protect themselves from the sheep which had come
from country infested with Prickly Pear. Amongst the men, four have followed Jack’s lead in dispensing with sleeves altogether, one has a short sleeved garment and others have sleeves to their elbows but none have long sleeves, not even ones that they have rolled up to the elbow. The trend towards the 'Jackie Howe' was well and truely on the way and even if Jack never wore the commercial version, it definately owed its existence to him.
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Jack wearing his self styled short
shearing shirt.
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