Bill is originally from a half-bred farming background in the Kaikoura area. In 1988 he studied extramurally at Massey to gain the Certificate of Wool Handling Systems followed by his merino and shed classer status.

With the sale of his farm, Bill shifted to Sefton in 2004, and took over an engineering business but continued to attend Fibre Select days to maintain contact with the industry.

In 2007 he sold the engineering business and re-entered the rural community when he began a new enterprise of servicing lifestyle properties and wool classing, with a number of clients in the Awatere Valley.

Bill has been involved in many community organizations over the years such as Young Farmers, Federated Farmers, and School Board of trustees, and more recently with Land Search and Rescue where he is now one of six Police LandSAR advisors in Canterbury. He is keen to promote classing as a vital part of clip improvement for the wool industry and to encourage young people to take up the challenge of classing.