Rding on the sheep's back

Posted by Eric Hayman on March 04, 2010 at 09:11

While "on the hog's back" appears, no mention is made of "riding on the sheep's back" - an Australian expression. In the golden years of the wool industry Australia rode "on the sheep's back". The Korean War in the 1950s produced another wool industry saying - "a pound a pound". The war caused an Australian wool surge since soldiers needed woollen coats to survive the freezing winters. It meant woolgrowers got a pound (sterling) for a pound (weight) of wool grown. It was a return that today's growers can only dream of.

Over in New Zealand, the lamb industry was another sheep business that sustained a country's economy - until the UK joined the European Economic Community and did the dirty on a fellow Commonwealth country.