She could mix it with shearers and wool growers and get away with her dog urinating on the leg of one of the world's highest paid stars.

Wool marketing pioneer Nan McDonald is now receiving accolades for being the driving force behind Australian wool's halcyon days.

Something her supporters believe should have come prior to her death earlier this year.

"She could handle any audience whether they be wool growers or a gaggle of textile manufacturers or buyers," explained long time friend and colleague, Joy Jobbins.

Ms Robbins was the advertising manager for the now defunct Australian Wool Board (AWB).

Board Chair Sir William Gunn hired Nan McDonald, a Queenslander who had started as a school teacher, before heading overseas to work in the fibre industry.

Southern New South Wales wool grower and authorof the book 'Breaking the sheep's back Charles Massy, says at the time of her joining AWB, Ms McDonald was one of Australia's highest paid executives.

"She'd worked internationally at the cutting edge of fibres and marketing," he said.

"The new synthetic companies were using all sorts of new thinking.

"As a top marketeer she was also very artistic and imaginative which is what you would want."

Ms McDonald employed a large number of 'glamorous' women and set up a separate division 'decked out in outrageous colours' within the AWB headquarters in Melbourne.

"You can imagine how she went down when she hit a conservative head office in Bourke Street Melbourne for the Wool Board," said Mr Massy

"It was pretty much a public service fiefdom.

"They ended up calling it the boudoir of Bourke