Mr Robinson, who died in 2016, defied the Australian Workers Union to stage shearing competitions that used wide shearing combs the union wanted to ban.

He also built up a fiercely contested Australia v New Zealand feature of Warrnambool’s shearing competition that helped draw thousands of people to the show.

Mr Robinson’s son Sam said the shearing competition at the Warrnambool show was for some time one of the biggest shearing competitions in Australia.

Jim Robinson’s involvement with the shearing competitions began in 1980 when the AWU’s insistence on narrow shearing combs discouraged fast shearing in competitions.

Mr Robinson’s efforts to work with the AWU on the issue failed and he held the 1989 competition with wide combs, using a legal opinion that the showgrounds were not a workplace to ignore the union’s ban.

He also worked with many other agricultural shows throughout Victoria to encourage them to stage shearing competitions, lifting the standard and public interest in the sport.

Sam Robinson said New Zealand shearers often dominated the Warrnambool competition with their experience in shearing cross-bred sheep that were used at the show.

At the time, Australian shearers were mainly shearing merinos so his father got the trans Tasman challenges to involve a mix of merinos and cross-bred sheep to give the Australians a fairer chance.

Mrs Robinson said her husband travelled around the world to attend shearing competitions and represented Australia on the world shearing championships governing body.

Without Mr Robinson at the helm, the shearing competition was not held at last year’s Warrnambool show but will return this year with accomplished shearer Roger Mifsud coordinating.

Mr Mifsud said a trans Tasman challenge between Australian and NZ shearers would again feature in the competition.