Woolshed all abuzz as shears record looms

MEDIA RELEASE
From Doug Laing, media officer, Shearing Sports New Zealand
January 4, 2015

Woolshed all abuzz as shears record looms

Excitement is building on a remote King Country farm where a Pio Pio-based shearing gang will tackle the World five-stand, strongwool lambshearing record for eight hours on Tuesday(January 6).

The attempt, targeting a tally of 2638 set in December 2013, will take place at Ingleby Corporation’s Puketiti Station, on Haku Rd and about 25 minutes southwest of Pio Pio.

The hopeful are Pio Pio shearer Jock MacDonald, Ringa Paewai, of Dannevirke, Aidan Copp, of West Melton, Willie Hewitson, of Woodlands (Southland), and George Parker, from Kingston, South Australia, who work for contractor Mark Barrowcliffe.

A team of seven judges appointed by the World Sheep Shearing Records Society will be headed by chief judge Peter Black, of Australia, and also comprises North Island representatives John Fagan, Ian Buchanan and Mike Barnett, and South Island judges Paul Harris, Colin Gibson and John Hough.

Their work starts tomorrow afternoon (Monday) when they will oversee the shearing of a sample of 20 lambs, which must have an average of at least 0.9kg of wool each.

The shearers start at 7am on Tuesday, needing to average a combined 660 for each of the four two-hour runs during the day, which are separated by half-hour breaks for morning and afternoon smoko and an hour for lunch. It finishes at 5pm.

The gang and station staff have been at the six-stand Puketiti woolshed preparing during the weekend, including making way for the tiered seating (“the grandtsand”) which, like the sheep tally, will grow during the day, as each bale is pressed and pushed into place.

It will be be a special day for station managers Rusty and Hillary Morgan, on a property which includes two DoC-protected caves, one named the Grand Canyon Cave and known for its long-tail bat colony.

Mrs Morgan will have family and friends from as far as the five-hour drive from Gisborne, and her mother from Napier, while their farm advisory consultant, from Hamilton, will be among other visitors, including shearer’s family members from throughout the country.

“All of our family’s coming, because of the shearing,” she said. “There’s not a huge amount of space, but there’s enough. I’m getting the feeling it’s going to be very exciting.”

“They’ve been watching the weather forecast,” she said. “I think it’s going to be perfect.”

The current record is held by South Island shearer Angus Moore, Waikaretu contractor Sam Welsh and Takapau brother Richard, Te Akau shearer Coel L’Huillier, and Peter Totorewa, from Huntly.

ENDS

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