King Country shearers smashes World merino record

King Country shearers smashes World merino record in Australia

King Country shearer Stacey Te Huia has tonight smashed a World shearing record – in Australia.

The 36-year-old Bathurst-based gun, whose parents are shearing trainers based in Te Kuiti, shore 530 finewooled merino ewes in nine hours today at Parkdale Stud, 36km northwest of Dubbo, NSW.

The previous record of 513 was set 10 years ago in West Australia by New Zealand-born Dwayne Black.

Te Huia is now the holder of three World shearing records, the 8hrs solo strongwool record of 603 shorn in December 2010 and the two-stand nine hours strongwool record of 1341 shorn with Waikaretu shearer and contractor Sam Welch in January 2012, both shorn in his home region of King Country.

Te Huia first appeared in the World Sheep Shearing Records Society’s record books as a 20-year-old in 1999 when he and brother Hayden shore a two stand record for 8hrs, and has made two unsuccessful attempts on the pinnacle solo 9hrs strongwool ewes record of 721 – the latest of which was abandoned near Bennydale on January 22 when the target was out of reach by lunchtime.

His sister, Kerri-Jo Te Huia, holds the Worlds women’s solo lambshearing record for 8hrs at 507, also shorn in January 2012.

Starting at 7am Australian east coast time today, Te Huia shore 113 in the opening run of two hours and successive 1hr 45mins runs of 103, 105, 104 and 105, finishing at 9pm New Zealand time.

In his record in April 2005, Black shoor runs of 112, 103, 98, 99 and 101, beating a record of 507 which had been set by New Zealand finewool maestro Dion Morrell near Tarras in Central Otago in 1997.

Another record will be challenged at Parkdale tomorrow, with Australians shearers Beau Guelfi looking to bowl the solo and two-stand eight-hour merino records set by expatriate Kiwi brothers Cartwright and Michael-James Terry in West Australia in 2003.

ENDS

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