WHEN our navy, army and air force are defending our coastline from potential intruders, you can be comforted by the fact that they are comforted by wearing woollen underwear.
That's right.
Our men and women soldiers who risk all for our right to live in a democratic country wear 100 per cent Australian-made woollen jocks and thongs - known as Wundies - wherever they are fighting.
The Victorian Police, too, have been wearing Wundies since 2003.
Kerrie Richards, founder and designer of Merino Country, came up with the idea after a few red wines.
"We were sitting around thinking, 'Wouldn't people be comfortable in woollen underwear', and then as the evening progressed, I decided to make the idea a reality," Ms Richards says.
She came up with the name Merino Country, as three-quarters of Australia's 71 million sheep are Merinos, which produce finer wool than any other Australian breed.
Merino wool has a high degree of absorbency and breathes, allowing air to circulate, which helps minimise body odour and chaffing.
It is also environmentally friendly and biodegradable.
"We decided to call it 'Wundies' for the obvious reasons and that was back in 1998, but it wasn't until 2009 that we landed the Department of Defence contract, which changed our business dramatically," Ms Richards said.
"We went from working in a 100 square metre shed hiring three people to working in a 1000sq m shed (near Brisbane) hiring 20 people."
Ms Richards, who grew up in Richmond, was awarded a Nuffield scholarship to study farming with a specialisation in wool production back in 1998, and travelled throughout Europe to experience first hand the different methods used around the world.
"It was an invaluable experience and has helped me expand the business," she said.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Ms Richards has now developed the 'Baa Bra', which she has made in conjunction with breast-cancer patients.
"We have a lot of people with health problems approach us, especially those with skin conditions, to design underwear that is comfortable.
"We have also developed new combat undershirts for the Department of Defence - now being used by police dog squads - that have no underarm and side seams, which they can wear under ballistic and load-bearing vests."
Ms Richards, who closed Merino Country's only retail shop in Brisbane back in 2008, is heavily reliant on big contracts to keep the company going.
"We are tendering again at the moment for a few big contracts, and fingers crossed that they go our way."
