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2024 Women to Watch

This year we showcase over 80 South Australian women to watch throughout the year. From business, to careers, arts to science. This year’s selected women highlight the depth and diversity of the women in our state and also the vast array of opportunities to develop a business or career in South Australia. Find our more about our inaugural Women to Watch initiative here.


I started working on my parents station at a young age alongside my parents. I was always helping mum with her hobbies which she would sell at markets, lead lighting suncatcher butterflies being one of the things I helped with. My cousin and I once made bathbombs to sell next to mums market stall – we spent the money after each bath bomb we sold though.

I moved 250km to ‘town’ (Mildura,VIC) to start my Signwriting apprenticeship, which I left and went back to do year 12 to become an Accountant or Forensic Scientist – I have no idea why I wanted to do either!

I worked in a Yoghurt & Donut shop whic made me realise I didn’t enjoy hospitality. Then decided to start my own small business from my parents garage when I was 19. This led to opening a shop a few years later. I moved to Yorke Peninsula to be with my now husband which made it difficult to adapt to living on a farm again in a small rural community. I adapted to selling online, created a website which allowed me to be remote and still continue my business and career.

I started Just Shear in 2017 to be able to supply custom printed shearing clothing to rural Australians. We have grown to supplying to Shearers, Farmers, Contractors, Builders, Concreters and many more.

// Favourite inspirational quote
Timing Is Everything.

// Let’s get to know you
I grew up on a sheep station in Western NSW with my parents, brother & sister. Travelling 250km just for groceries, helping work in the paddock as a family before & after school. Our lifestyle (and avoiding sheepwork at any cost) is what inspired me to start my own business after I moved to Mildura at 15 where I finished my schooling & did my apprenticeship in Signwriting. After 7 amazing years of in business – Carlie Rees Custom Designs in Mildura I moved to Yorke Peninsula to live on my husbands farm and work from home – plus running the Mildura shop from 500km away.

In between the move I started Just Shear, which continues to grow more than I ever dreamed. We post worldwide and are still working from our workshop on our family farm at Petersville, Yorke Peninsula. I get to work alongside my husband and 2 children (2 & 4) I run lunches out to the paddock in between printing orders and dishing up a snack box.

// What makes you a Woman to Watch for 2024?
I love that we can supply printing, advertising and branded merchandise to our customers who also live on farms – in some of the most remote areas of Australia. A lot of our customers have awful internet so we still do old school phone orders as well as online orders. We had a 55% growth in revenue in 22/23 financial year and already we have between 75% and 120% growth monthly this financial year. I am so proud of what we are achieving from a shed that is literally in the middle of a paddock.

// What is your goal or intention for the year ahead? And how are you going to achieve it?
We plan to release a lot more new products & expand our storage system. Hopefully train an apprentice to learn what we do. Expand on exporting more and also gain more wholesale stockists.

// What would being a Woman to Watch mean to you?
It would be amazing to be an inspiration to every woman in a regional or rural location that thinks they are limited by their location. We can do anything we want we just need the right timing and the ideas.

// What would you like to see for the future of South Australian women and girls?
I’d love to see more regional and rural women and girls have the mindset that they literally can do anything. It might take a little more work or thinking outside the square but we got this!


Get in touch with Carlie:

LinkedIn: Carlie Smith
Website: www.justshear.com

Check out all of the incredible Women to Watch for 2024 here as their profiles are uploaded throughout the year.

To become an SA Woman Member, check out our Membership Options here.

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