Friday, March 29, 2024

Shearing stalwart leads the way

Neal Wallace
Tom Wilson will have almost completed the full circle when the World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships begin in Invercargill on February 8.
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A Scotsman now living in south Otago, Wilson is chairman of the committee organising the event but is himself a former world individual and team shearing champion.

In addition he has missed attending or competing in only two world championships since the first was held in 1977 at the Bath and West Show in England.

The industry has been Wilson’s career, initially as a shearer, shearing contractor and shearer trainer but latterly in an industry governance role, working for Acto Agriculture importing shearing gear and assisting with research and development.

Raised on a 2500ha hill country farm in the Borders of Scotland near Melrose, Wilson was introduced to shearing at an early age by his father as the family sheared their own sheep.

He was hooked and on leaving school he joined another local man and they established their own shearing run before being encouraged in 1973 by some New Zealand shearers to try his hand down under.

He stopped off in Australia and was given an introduction to shearing Merinos before ending up working during the main shear for Allan Barker in Manawatu.

That started an international shearing career of more than 40 years that has seen him running his own contracting gang in Britain, which worked throughout Europe for 20 years, winning two world titles, a role teaching shearers and industry and sport governance since 2003.

In 1980 he contested his first world event in Masterton, coming third to Snow Quinn and Martin Ngataki, but he was hooked and competed regularly until recently.

“That was the start of it all. I think I have missed two ever since.”

A regular visited since 1973, Wilson moved permanently to NZ in 2003, lured by the shearing culture but also the countryside and people.

“It was something that suited my outlook on life,” he said.

When the decision was taken in 2014 for NZ to apply to the world governing body to host the world championships, Wilson along with Sir David Fagan and Gavan Rowland went to Ireland to successfully plead the case.

The event has been hosted at Masterton on several occasions and it was planned the 2017 contest would be held in Christchurch.

But questions arose about ongoing logistical disruption following the city’s rebuild from the earthquakes and also access to suitable sheep.

Wilson recalls hearing an opportune comment from Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt after the city hosted a Joseph Parker boxing match that he wanted to get more international events to the southern city.

A meeting was organised with economic and community agency Venture Southland and Wilson said within 30 minutes they had met representatives from everybody needed to help run the world shearing event.

“It has been all ‘how can we do it’ and ‘what can we do to help.’

“We’ve been really fortunate to end up down here.”

The event will be held in the ILT Stadium Southland, a massive indoor arena in which a six-stand shearing stage will be built along with catching and holding opens and room for 70 trade exhibits to promote all aspects of the wool industry.

But importantly the organisers have access to more than 4200 full-woolled and second-shear ewes and lambs for the four-day contest.

“It suits us because at that time of the year it is difficult to get good sheep around Christchurch but down in the Otago and Southland region, they have got every type of sheep and they shear well at that time of year.”

Second-shear sheep will come from Peters Genetics at Moa Flat, full wool from the Robertson family at Wyndham and lambs from the Marshall family, also from Wyndham.

While Wilson might be the frontman for the event, he said a network of volunteers was planning and organising it, from sourcing and preparing the sheep to building the shearing stands and displays to arranging for the competitors from 31 countries entered so far.

“It is the most countries ever to be entered in a world championship and they are coming to the furthermost away city.”

Competitors in machine, blade and woolhandling classes have entered from lesser known shearing countries as diverse as Estonia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Mongolia, Japan and the Falkland Islands.

Those from developing shearing nations have been invited to a two-day shearing course at Mt Linton Station on February 1-2 to help improve their skills.

“That’s what they are coming here for.

“They recognise NZ is the place to come to to learn to shear sheep and we’re offering them the opportunity to take something away with them.”

As well as shifting cities, Wilson said interest was such that it drove another change, turning what was planned as a three-day event in to a four-day contest.

During the first two days the All Nations event, which was open to anyone, will be contested, providing a competition for those who miss out on world teams and allowing others to acclimatise to NZ sheep and shearing in a public arena.

The All Nations would be spit into intermediate, senior and open grades and contested on second shear sheep.

The main event would be contested on rounds of full-wool, second-shear and lambs with points collated to find the top 12 semifinalists.

The final will be decided from shearing six full-wool, seven second-shear and seven lambs.

Wilson said the stadium would be converted to a shearing competition venue without too many problems but finding, sorting and preparing the sheep has already taken several months of preparation by Dion Morrell and Allan MacDonald.

“We have had no trouble sourcing the sheep. Farmers were all ready and willing to help.”

Preparation included crutching sheep to be used in various competitions to ensure uniformity.

Those assisting in other key roles have been announced.

The chief shearing referee is Paul Harris, a sheep farmer and shearing contractor from in Waipara, North Canterbury.

As host nation, New Zealand provides the largest contingent with 10 shearing officials.

Joining Harris will be head judge John Fraser, Oamaru, along with fellow officials Graeme Twose, Waikari, Donald Johnston, Oamaru, Matthew Mainland, Southland, Philip Parker, Southland, Bruce Walker, Owaka, Ken Payne, Balclutha, Ronnie King, Pahiatua, and Todd Oliver, Aria.

Chief woolhandling referee is New Zealander Peter Lange, a store manager for CP Wool based in Te Kuiti.

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