Jackie Howe

John Robert Howe (* 1861 in Killarney, Australia, † July 1, 1920 in Blackall ), also called Jackie Howe, was a shearer, who set the first record in the sheep shearing in 1892, when he was shearing sheep 237 in one day. His weekly record was 1437 sheep.

John Robert Howe was the son of John Howe, a circus acrobat and later drover, and his wife Loiuisa Stokes. Howe began as shearers towards the end of 1870 to work, spent a shearing season in New Zealand and settled in Blackall. He was Roman Catholic and married Margaret Alexandra Victoria Short on April 24, 1890.

It was built exceptionally muscular and strong, his biceps had a circumference of 43 inches and he weighed 114 kg. He was already famous during his lifetime, and presented the first mechanical sheep shearing machines in Australia. According to him, the blue shirt of Australian shearers Jacky Howe is called.

He was an active trade unionist who took part in the first shearers 'strike in 1891 and the second shearers ' strike in 1894. Howe was a member of the strike committee of the shearers ' union and the Labour Party and he was a good friend of Thomas Joseph Ryan, who succeeded the first time, as a member of the Australian Labor Party to become Prime Minister of Queensland.