Shearing sports champion a new chairman

Shearing sports champion a new chairman

Shearing champion David Fagan barely had enough time to push his last competition sheep through the porthole before stepping-up to head the organisation in charge of the sport’s 60 shows throughout New Zealand each summer.

Fagan, or Mr Fagan as he may now be called, has been appointed chairman of Shearing Sports New Zealand, less than a month after representing New Zealand in competition for the last time, in a four-test series in Wales.

He succeeds Gavin Rowland, a former New Zealand World Championships team manager who was chairman for the last three years. Mr Rowland stood-down at the organisation’s annual meeting in Christchurch.

Mr Fagan comes well equipped to lead the shearing and woolhandling sports into the future, having been on the New Zealand Shearing Championships organising committee in home-town Te Kuiti for most of the 33 years he had as an Open-class shearer.

But he’s also had several years as Shearing Delegate to the national organisation, of which older brother and fellow former Golden Shears champion and World record holder John Fagan was chairman for nine years until he decided against seeking another term in 2012.

David Fagan said that while the possibility of taking-on the role had been mentioned in the past, he didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

“It’s all been a bit sudden,” he said. “But there is a need, and I’m prepared to step-up. Like any sport we have a lot of challenges and with the support of the current national committee I’m sure we can tackle them all.”

ENDS

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