MEDIA RELEASE December 16, 2010

Speedshear singlets auction adds to Pike River benefit

Two singlets from last weekend's Shearing Sports Charity Speedshear are set to well over $500 more to the Mayoral Fund for families of the Pike River mining tragedy victims as a result of bidding on on-line auction site Trademe.

The singlets are signed by all 10 of the shearers who took part in the Speedshear at Dawson's Hotel in Reefton, raising more than $12,000 from sponsorship, door takings and auctions on the night.

The on-line auctions close on Sunday night, and late today bidding on one of the singlets had hit $255.

The shearers who signed the singlets include four World champions, and six of the 10 have held World tally records. They are headed by five-times World individual champion and Speedshear winner David Fagan, of Te Kuiti and who posted the fastest time in the Speedshear which gathered many of the top shearers in New Zealand at just a few days' notice.

The other World title winners among them were 1984 champion and Darfield-based Scotsman Tom Wilson, 1994 champion Alan MacDonald, of Pio Pio, and new champion Cam Ferguson, of Waipawa. The others shearers were Darin Forde, of Winton, Digger Balme, of Te Kuiti, Grant Smith, of Rakaia, Grant Lundie, from Scotland, Sam Win, of Ikamatua, and nephew Rhys Liddell, also of Ikamatua.

ENDS