Greenwell Point's Sally McLean defends her title as Australia's fastest female oyster shucker

In a nail-biting final, Ms McLean shucked 30 oysters in 2 minutes and 54 seconds to keep her title. She out-shucked finalists Jade Norris from Batemans Bay and Pambula's Sue McIntyre as John Susman and Colin Fassnidge commentated the tense battle.

Sally went head-to-head with Jade Norris and Melanie Page from Greenwell Point in a tense heat, where she proved her skill and speed.

Despite sporting a torn tendon in her elbow (which meant training for the competition was off the table), Ms McLean beat her winning time for the third year in a row. In 2022, she shucked 30 oysters 3 minutes and 4 seconds and in 2021, her time was 3 minutes and 11 seconds.

She was left speechless after her weekend win: "It was such a big deal coming back to defend the title. I wasn't feeling confident but I wanted to compete."

"The men's and women's competitions were just epic and the crowd was amazing" she said.

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So where does Sally's knack for speedy oyster shucking come from? It's all in the family.

Her dad, Jim Wild, started his business on the Shoalhaven and Crookhaven Rivers near Greenwell Point in 1979.

Sally considers herself an "all-rounder" when it comes to supporting her dad's successful trade. Jim Wild's Oysters will soon become a third-generation family business when Sally's son Hunter joins the team.

Back in 1984, Jim was crowned the world's fastest oyster shucker when he opened 30 oysters in 2 minutes and 31 seconds at the Galway International Oyster Festival in Ireland.

"Dad has been there so many times - he says its the best atmosphere and people over there love the Aussies!"

Sally is hopeful she can make it to the international competition one day and follow in her father's footsteps.

"It's my absolute goal to get there - it will happen one day. I'll keep practicing."

Read our wrap-up of the 2023 Narooma Oyster Festival.