18 months ago Tyron picked up the clippers. Now he's an international shearing champion

The Goodooga teenager is the first Aboriginal person to take home the shearing title, and the first Australian in over 60 years.

Tyron Cochrane competed in New Zealand and became an international champion.

He's only 18 but Tyron Cochrane can add 'international champion' to his list of accomplishments.

Last week, Tyron was crowned winner of the Golden Shears junior final in Masterton, New Zealand.

The Golden Shears is known as the world's premier shearing and wool-handling competition, hosting only the best of the best every year since 1961.

Tyron said he's "pretty over the moon" with the win.

Tyron Cochrane competing in the Golden Shears' junior competition. Source: Facebook / Tyron Cochrane

Not only was the victory massive for the teenager and his family, but for his people.

Tyron is the first Aboriginal person to take home the title.

He is also the first Australian winner since John Allan won in the inaugural year.

"It feels good, yeah, feels incredible," Tyron said.

The Yuwaalaraay teenager was born and bred in Goodooga. He grew up watching his father, Terry, shear.

Like father, like son, Tyron eventually decided to pick up the clippers himself.

"I got cousins that do it but I only have three sisters, and they didn't want to do shearing," he laughed.

Tyron (wearing the red champion ribbon) alongside other champions at the Golden Shears competition. Source: Facebook / Tyron Cochrane

From Goodooga to NZ

Tyron has spent most of his life in Goodooga, occassionally travelling the roughly 450 kilometres to Dubbo.

He'd travel to Dubbo to participate in the Regional Enterprise Development Institute (REDI), a First Nations program.

That program kicked off the youngster's success in the shearing world.

Over three months ago, Tyron left for New Zealand alongside other young people to prepare for the shearing competition and get some hot tips from New Zealand's finest.

"With the REDi program, they sent us over to New Zealand to do the competition," he said.

The Golden Shears International sheep shearing competition takes place at The Wool Shed in Masterton, NZ. Source: AFP / Marty Melville/AFP via Getty Images

The tips helped as the sheep in New Zealand were wildly different to the fine-wooled Merinos he would shear at home.

The program went for over five weeks, and for Tyron, Masterton felt a lot different to home.

"Yeah, I got a little bit homesick about halfway through it," he laughed.

Already reaching the top title, there isn't much further the young one can go.

But he remains determined and committed to his craft, saying he definitely won't switch up the shearing shed for a barber shop any time soon.