Gina Nathan - Woolhandler

Gina Nathan - Woolhandler

Reigning national woolhandling champion Gina Nathan, who died in Dunedin on Tuesday night, will be brought home to Hawke's Bay tomorrow (Friday) for a tangi at Kahuranaki Marae, Te Hauke.

Aged 49 when she died in hospital from complications after an operation for a lung complaint, she had been one of New Zealand's top woolhandlers since being coaxed into competition by employers and Alexandra contractors Peter and Elsie Lyon in 1987.

She finished runner-up to fellow Central Otago wooolhandler Patrick Shelford in the national finewool championship in Alexandra at her first attempt, won the title the following year and repeated the victory at least three more times, in 1992,1997 and 2001.

Originally from the Hastings area but based in Alexandra for almost 30 years, she was later second to Shelford again, in the 1996 World Championship in Masterton, in a 22-year-year open-class career in which she saved the best for the best, with a patient wait for the ultimate triumphs.

She won the Golden Shears open in Masterton in 2005 and 2006, having finished second at least four times, and when she won the New Zealand Championships open final in Te Kuiti in March last year she became only the third shearing sports athlete to win both of the premier titles.

Earlier last season she had also won the New Zeakland Spring Shears title in Waimate and the Southern Shears Open in Gore.

She also twice won the national crossbred lambshearing championships twice at Riversdale, and when she last competed in Winton in January as the championships were revived after a five-year recess she again reached the final and finished fourth.

Her achievements led to her beeing awarded Master Woolhandler status by Shearings Sports New Zealand, chairman John Fagan commenting yesterday she would be a big loss to the industry and the sport.

A 1993 finewool championships programme noted her commitment overseeing the woolhandling during the shearing events, and how even after winning the previous year she worked until well after the final speeches before she could start her own celebrations.

She was also sought after as a woolhandler for World shearing record attempts.

Mrs Lyon told the Otago Daily Times, the star worker had also trained a lot of people in the industry, and was a "perfectionist" who set high standards.

She is at rest in Alexandra before being taken home for a final service which will start at Te Hauke on Sunday at 11am.

ENDS

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