Saturday 6 March, 2010

Golden Wind up for a Golden Event

A PACKED stadium of close to two thousand thrilled spectators soaked up every last bit of excitement at this evening’s final night of the 2010 Golden Shears.

While the evening was largely focused on deciding winners for the open woolhandler and open shearer champion titles, barely a moment was left to draw breath during the five-hour spectacle of music, entertainment and excitement.

There was no doubting this event deserved every bit of the attention it had drawn over the past four days. Now in its 50th year, and with the same recipe for success it had at inception, more interest was shown this year than ever.

Perhaps the 2010 Golden Shears were given an extra boost by the huge number of people in special attendance for its 50th anniversary celebrations. Or maybe the outstanding pedigree of contestants, some fresh faces, others close to being household names, were the real crowd drawer.

More likely than not it was simply a matter of synergy: a combination of competition, entertainment, history, celebration and down right good sport that had made it what it was.

As Allflex chief executive Shane McManaway commented during his address at the conclusion of the senior shearing final tonight, the 2010 Golden Shears have set the Wairarapa valley alight over the past four days.

There is no doubt that for many, next year’s event won’t come around soon enough.

New Open Champion for Golden Shears

THE GOLDEN Shears has a brand new open shearing champion with young Waipawa shearer Cam Ferguson winning the title ahead of a prestigious line up of five of the world’s most elite in the field.

Ferguson made shearing his twenty sheep look like a saunter through the park, his handpiece slicing through fleeces like a hot knife through butter, and sheep disappearing down the exit port at lightening pace.

The TAB had Ferguson in fourth place to win the shearing championship, an impressive status given the big names he was up against. These included 16-time open shearing champion David Fagan, 2006 open champion and world record holder for the most lambs shorn in nine hours, Dion King, and two-time open champion and runner up in the 2008 world champs, John Kirkpatrick.

The two shearers picked to come in after Ferguson were two-time open champion and 16-time open finalist, Paul Avery, and 11-time open finalist, Dean Ball.

As Golden Shears commentator Koru Mullins said right after the last sheep was shorn in the open final, “if the All Blacks could play like these guys shear, we’d win every world cup”.

Twenty six year old Ferguson is one of the three youngest shearers to ever have won the title of Golden Shears open shearing champion in its 50 year history. The Waipawa father of three, whose partner Teresa Hall also has shearing title to her name, only won his first title three seasons ago at the Counties Show in Pukekohe.

Ferguson made it to the Golden Shears open shearing semi-finals two years ago and missed the them by one place last year.

His form in the lead up to this week’s Golden Shears was on the fine side of variable.

He hit top form by winning the New Zealand Spring Shears contest in Waimate last October, then three weeks ago won the Otago Champion title at Balclutha Show and soon after won the South Island Shearer of Year final at Gore.

Last weekend, however, Ferguson’s form slipped slightly and he wasn’t placed in any of the three shows he entered. Perhaps he was preparing himself for tonight.

Cam Ferguson is a full time shearer in Hawkes Bay. He had been working for contractor Kerry Brannigan until half way through this season when he signed up with Neil Waihape of Waipukurau.

During this season Ferguson managed to shear a shed tally of 856 lambs in nine hours, a score that is knocking on the door of the current world record of 866 lambs in nine hours, held by fellow Golden Shears open final contestant, Dion King.

The Shears' International Appeal

WHEREVER you find sheep you'll find shearers and so it's no surprise that each year the Golden Shears has its fair share of international competitors.

In total there were ten countries represented at the Shears this week. Scottish and Japanese shearers, Norwegian woolhandlers, Irish woolpressers - the past four days have certainly not lacked in international flavour.

For the first time in Golden Shears history, a Polish competitor was also up on the boards this week doing his best at chasing glory in the junior shearing contest.

Jake Hicki is a 35 year old shearer hailing from Poznan in southwest Poland. His background in shearing began after meeting a fellow Polishman in France, a man who also happened to be a shearer.

Initially working as his driver, Jake later decided to take up a handpiece himself. Nine years down the track and after shearing sheep in Spain, France and Scotland, Jake eventually made his way to the Mecca of the sheep shearing world, the Golden Shears in Masterton.

“I think the first time I heard about the Golden Shears was in France. I was working with a French guy and a Polish guy and that was the first time I heard about this event, the first time I heard the name David Fagan, the first time I heard about all those top shearers,” he said.

Jake is now in New Zealand for the second time, working for Moriarty Shearing in Waiau. He said just making it to the Golden Shears was realising a personal dream but competing in the junior shearing heats next to Jack Fagan, the son of 16-time Golden Shears open shearing champion David Fagan, took his experience that one step further.

“Before I would never have imagined I would come to New Zealand and compete against David Fagan’s son,” he said with a broad smile.

“Those seven to eight minutes, it was one of the best adventures of my life.”

Friday 5 March, 2010

Top 30 Shoot Out – One Step Closer to Finals

THE ATMOSPHERE was electric at the Golden Shears this evening as 30 of the world’s most skilful shearers fought tooth and nail for a place in the top 12 to go through to tomorrow’s open shearing finals.

The War Memorial Stadium reverberated with cheers as competitors made their way through the crowd and up onto the shearing board, each one with brows furrowed in concentration, waiting for the word to fire into action.

“Competitors, get set, go!”

In the flash of an eye each contestant had a sheep in their grip, handpieces working like warm knives through butter as wool was shed at lightening speed.

The old names in shearing, including reigning champion David Fagan and two-time former champion John Kirkpatrick, were met with fierce competition by shearers who’ve been battling for the champion title for years and other fresher faces, new to the Opens.

Three women, Emily Welch, Jills Angus Burney and Una Cameron, had been among the 107 entrants in the event with Una making history by becoming the first female ever to have made it into the top 30 shoot out.

By the end of this evening and after some serious entertainment, 30 shearers had been culled back to 12.

The top 12 shearers to go through to tomorrow’s open shearing semi-finals are:

• Cam Ferguson, Waipawa
• Dion King, Hastings
• David Fagan, Te Kuiti
• Dean Ball, Te Kuiti
• Paul Avery, Stratford
• Nathan Stratford, Invercargill
• Jason Win, Ikamatua
• Gavin Mutch, Whangamomona
• Adam Brausch, Dannevirke
• John Kirkpatrick, Napier
• Jerome McCrea, Wanganui
• James Fagan, Te Kuiti

First Female into Top 30

THERE’S a first time for everything and tonight was that time for Scottish woman Una Cameron when she became the first female ever to make the top 30 in the open shearing heats.

The 37 year old professional shearer has taken a remarkable path her get to tonight’s event and believe it or not, it didn’t start on a farm.

Una spent her first five years growing up in Germany where her father held an army post. It was later, when they moved back to Scotland and into the small village of St Boswells, near Edinburgh, that her passion for farming, shearing, all things agricultural was born.

She later spent six years working on a small farm and by 1995 had embarked on her first full season of shearing. That year was also the first time she was introduced to competitive shearing and the first time she came out to New Zealand.

Una’s career as a shearer has steamed ahead ever since. She’s been working for Pahiatua-based shearing contractor Motu Tua for six years and has no plans of moving on any time soon.

One might have thought that to become a professional in a career that is dominated by men would be satisfaction enough for most. But not for Una.

With the support of her partner, fellow Scot and former world teams champion George Bayne, Una made the brave move of entering into this year’s Golden Shears’ open shearing competition. She was one of only three women to have qualified into the competition and went on to become the first women ever to make it into the top 30.

Una said that whatever the outcome of this weekend’s competition, just making it to the Shears has been a thrill and an honour.

“This is the ultimate. This singlet here, this black singlet, this is what it’s all about,” she said, proudly looking down on her Golden Shears top.

“I don’t think I will ever be wearing this again. It will probably be framed straight away.”

Well Earned Enjoyment

THEY’VE got 86 years of competitive woolhandling experience between them but this Friday night, the penultimate night of the 50th anniversary Golden Shears, has been all about entertainment for three sisters Ruth Pike, Kuini Naera and Noeline Smith, and their friend Lily Haeata.

Ruth was a competitor in the Shears for 48 years running, right up until the beginning of her “retirement” last year.

“Coming here last year was the first time I hadn’t competed and I was finally able to sit down and watch,” she said above the din of this evening’s live music.

“It was a great feeling but this year it’s even better, being the 50th anniversary and all.”

The four women have on several occasions competed with and against each other in the woolhandling stakes over the history of the Shears. Kuini and Lily were in fact one of the very first winners of a pairs event back in 1964.

Tension High as Open Heats Prepare to Kick Off

WOOLPRESSING results are blasted from the loudspeaker as a steady throng of wide-eyed, expectant Golden Shears fans make their way through Masterton’s War Memorial Stadium.

A visitor will find supporters cheering on woolhandling finalists, a few sweaty contestants milling about with handpieces under their arms having finished the senior shearing final, children making their way through the aisles.

There are people catching up with old friends, judges taking a break between sessions and journalists grabbing a quick bite before the afternoon’s proceedings.

Who they are unlikely to see in the crowds are competitors in the upcoming open shearing heats.

That’s because these guys will have spent most of the morning psyching themselves up, fine tuning their handpiece skills, preparing their bodies and their minds for what is widely considered to be the world’s premier shearing show-down.

This is the kind of situation where a shearer will be damn proud of himself if the only thing he ever does in his career is make it to the top thirty shoot out of this event, said publicity officer for Shearing Sports New Zealand, Doug Laing.

“There are a top dozen who are genuine contenders for the open final,” Doug said.

“But the situation is tense and everyone knows that anything is possible.”

Doug said people only need to look back at last year’s competition where John Kirkpatrick entered the competition as favourite but was knocked out after incurring a maximum penalty in the semi-finals.

“If that kind of thing happens in the heats, it could be good night nurse for a top contender. And it’s happened in the past.”

Each of the 110 entrants in this afternoon’s open champion heats will be well aware of the risks and potential pitfalls of the competition and each will be spending time trying to calm their nerves in their own fashion. For some that means grinding their gear, for others a morning round of golf and for many a warm up shear at a nearby farm.

One of the contestants falling into the latter group is 21-time open final competitor and one of the top contenders for this year’s event, Dean Ball of Te Kuiti.

The TAB currently has Dean sitting at sixth position for favourite to win the event but he’s doing his best to ignore the pressure for now.

Dean spent this morning shearing a “handful” of sheep with a few other competitors. Back from the sheds, he’s now trying to stay relaxed but focused.

“I’m feeling pretty good. You’ve just got to relax and do what you normally do,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m nervous, just excited. I want to get into it now like the rest of the guys. You want to get up there and make your mark again.”

While he hasn’t yet won an open title, Dean will be giving it his all out there this afternoon, cheered on by his wife, Gill, their three children and a decent quota of fans.

Golden Shears Update

WE’RE passed the half way mark at this year’s Golden Shears but while last night’s 50th anniversary dinner offered a little respite from the rigors of competition, tension levels are well on the way up for the big events yet to come.

The majority of the past days’ competitions have involved a process of elimination leading up to finals over the next day and a half but there are at least three contestants who have done their dash and are now free to sit back and watch others battle it out.

Youngest ever Golden Shears champion and winner of the novice shearing event, David Gordon, has done his bit and can now focus his attention on supporting his father, Nuki, who will compete in the open shearing heats this evening.

Veteran shearing champions Colin King of Blenheim, who came out tops in the 55 to 64 year contest last night, and Hugh McCarroll of Tauranga, winner of the over-65 event, can also join David on the sidelines.

And there will be plenty for them, plus those competitors who have not made it into future semi-final and final events, to get excited about.

We’ve got woolhandling finals across all grades, blade shearing finals, three inter-country shearing tests, the PGG Wrightson National Circuit Shearing Final and behind it all the monster of all events, the pinnacle of shearing rivalry, the open shearing competition.

Thursday 4 March, 2010

Ex-Champ Juggles Shearing with Parliament

KAIKOURA MP Colin King was among 40 contestants battling it out this afternoon in the grade one veterans shearing contest.

With three open final champion titles to his name plus a string of other shearing successes behind him, Colin King is no stranger to Golden Shears victory.

Colin is also one of a small number of left-handed shearers in the competition but says being a ‘south paw’ doesn’t hold him back.

“Normally speaking, if you were a sheep farmer’s son and you were left handed, you’d teach yourself to shear right handed. I was a dairy farmer’s son and didn’t think I would need to change so by the time I started shearing it was too late.”

Despite the disadvantages of shearing left handed, where port holes and catching pens, traditionally designed for right-handers, can make life a little difficult, Colin pointed out that he is not alone with his handedness in reaching top level status.

“Samson Te Whata, Tom Brough, Jack Dowd, they were all guys who all started out left handed, swapped to right and have done very well in the Shears.”

The other ‘minority group’ that Colin represents is the South Island shearer. But that group too has not let its minority status steal its glory. Colin was in fact the first ‘mainlander’ to win the open shearing final but several others have followed.

Colin was in between competition heats this afternoon when he took time to talk about his Golden Shears experience. Despite admitting he was “not particularly happy” with his performance in the first round, he’s determined to make it to the top twelve.

He said the only training he managed to fit in this year was a competition in Blenheim. He was originally only in attendance to accompany champion shearer Paul Avery but got talked into taking part himself.

“I have to say it was very painful. We only shore ten sheep but the last five were particularly painful. I just lacked the fitness.”

Colin said parliamentary responsibilities prevented him from doing more training.

Whatever the outcome might be of this afternoon’s veterans finals, Colin said it has been great to be part of the Golden Shears 50th anniversary.

“The Golden Shears appeals to the curiosity of the public and it’s one of those truly pioneering activities,” he said.

“I take my hat off to the (Wairarapa) Young Farmers for putting an international event like this together. It’s a vision that is held in such high regard. In fact it’s held in higher regard now than ever.”

Shears Stronger Than Ever

THE GOLDEN Shears’ half century of existence is more than enough proof for former champion John Allan that competitive shearing is here to stay.

The 74 year old veteran shearer is over from Australia this week to celebrate the 50th anniversary, catching up with long-time industry friends and enjoying soaking up the atmosphere in an event he believes is more popular than it has ever been.

“I think (the competition) is getting better, I think it’s getting stronger. You wouldn’t get any of these young blokes if they didn’t think it was credible.”

This comes from a man whose handpiece skills have had him rank top in his field, seen him shear in 14 different countries and led to his fascinating story being captured in the biography “Shear Magic: The John Allan Story”.

John was in fact the first ever Golden Shears intermediate shearing champion back at the inaugural competition in 1961, fifty years ago. He had been shearing in the South Island prior to the event and was so captivated by the Shears that he came back the next year with a team of Australians to challenge the Kiwis.

“That was the first Australian team to be sent, back in 1962. I invited a team of Aussies, the Kiwis picked a team, we had a match and that’s how it began,” John said.

“The Kiwis used to say to us “You fellows don’t shear enough to make a good stew” and we would always answer back “Yeah but you can shear those cross-breed sheep of yours with a forked stick”.

That rivalry has become a solid part of the Golden Shears over its fifty-year history. In addition to the many Australians that compete in shearing and woolhandling events each year, the trans-Tasman shearing test between Shearing Sports NZ and Sports Shear Australia is now in its fourteenth year. Earlier test series were also held in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

In terms of John’s personal performance, he opted out of today’s veteran contest having not shorn a sheep for 30 years. But there’s no doubt he’ll be supporting veterans from the stands and also making his presence known at the Golden Shears 50th anniversary dinner tonight.

A Name to Watch

HE ONLY shore his first sheep a couple of years ago but it looks like Gisborne teenager Wi Poutu Ngarangione is well on his way to breathing down the necks of shearing’s greats.

With a focus rarely seen in someone of his age, Wi entered his first competition last year and has since dominated the intermediate division in this season’s national shearing circuit.

Wi has won twelve of the thirteen shearing competitions he’s entered since October last year. The exception was a competition in Raglan where he was narrowly beaten by a shearer nearly three times his age.

Wi was top qualifier in the intermediate shearing heats this morning and will move on to the semi-finals this afternoon. If he continues as he started today, he’ll be well on his way to Saturday’s final.

And he doesn’t want to stop there. His vision is to one day be open shearing champion.

Commentator at this year’s Golden Shears, Koru Mullins, said he would like nothing better than to sit here in five years time and see Wi in the open final. He said at this stage Wi has got plenty of skill and shows a natural ability for the sport.

“He’s certainly dominated his class this season. He’s go natural talent and he’s good with sheep.”

Unlike most other sports, shearing relies not only on handpiece technique but also animal handling skills. According to Koru, Wi’s got the touch with sheep, a calming effect that makes them that much easier to shear.

“He’s also quite mature. He speaks well, he always thanks organisers and sponsors, he’s good at the right things.”

Koru said it’s still a big step up into the open class for any shearer, a step that is more challenging in terms of responsibility and physical demands. But Wi is certainly making big steps in the right direction.

Father Daughter Combo Compete at Golden Shears

KEEPING it in the family at the War Memorial Stadium this morning were Masterton duo Paul Sargeant and daughter Lauren, 21, who chose the Golden Shears as the place to work together for the very first time.

A qualified massage therapist, Lauren decided to be rousie as a summer job at the end of 2007 following the completion of her training. It’s now more than two years down the track and she hasn’t looked back.

Her experiences in the sheds brought her to compete in the junior woolhandling contest yesterday and she’s not planning to leave the shearing board behind anywhere in the near future.

Lauren cleared the fleeces for her father this morning as he competed in the intermediate shearing heats and brother Hayden, 18, was a Shears contestant in the novice shearing event yesterday.

Masterton Young Gun Makes Golden Shears History

MASTERTON school student David Gordon made history last night by becoming the youngest ever Golden Shears champion at thirteen years old.

David just pipped one of his best friend’s and fellow Mastertonian, Manahi Fox, to take the title of Novice Shearing Champion, making him younger by two years than the previous holder of the youngest champion title.

David’s win was no surprise to many of the crowd packing Masterton’s War Memorial Stadium last night. He has grown up surrounded by shearing and was one of four family members entered in this year’s Golden Shears.

His sisters Samantha and Cushla both competed in the junior woolhandling competition yesterday, and Cushla was also vying for the Junior Shearing Champion title. To cap it off, the family will be cheering along father Nuki Gordon, a seasoned entrant in the Golden Shears who will compete in the Open Shearing contest tomorrow.

Wednesday 3rd March, 2010

Veteran Shearers Come Out of the Woodwork

THREE self-titled “old codgers” from Northland are among around eighty competitors in Masterton this week to take part in a one-off veterans shearing contest.

Rusty Campbell was joined by his friends Ken Massey and Rex Salisbury in travelling to Masterton to take part in tomorrow’s over-65 veterans shearing contest. He said while there will be plenty of competitive spirit tomorrow, priorities have changed over the years.

In the peak of his competitive days, which ended for the most part after the 1968 Golden Shears, Rusty said nerves often sabotaged his performance. But he reckons now he’s got that under control.

“I always got nervous but now I forget about all that and concentrate on the job I’m doing. My main focus is trying not to make mistakes,” he said.

“There’s a lot of skill and art in (shearing). You just have to relax and don’t get tense.”

With decades of shearing experience under his belt, Rusty also gets great satisfaction in being able to offer advice to younger shearers. He still shears in the odd competition and said his focus is on quality, something he enjoys seeing in his juniors.

“I took great pleasure in meeting a junior shearer at one show. She must have been in her early twenties and I gave her advice to slow down and do a better job.

“I bet her in a junior event in Kumeu last year. Then she came back at the Royal Easter Show in Auckland and beat me. I was rapt.”

And Rusty isn’t limiting his advice to the novice shearers in this year’s Golden Shears. His tip for the less-young is that it’s all about preparation.

He said personally he’s been “very lazy” but is relying on his own technique in the build-up to tomorrow.

“I do my own home gardening. It’s all about root crops and I must have dug in about a hundred kumara and four- to five hundred potatoes.”

Tomorrow’s veteran events kick off in the morning with the New Image Veterans Woolhandling heats followed by the shearing heats and finals plus woolhandling finals in the afternoon.

Out of Retirement for Golden Shears

MASTERTON woolhandling competitor Sandra Edmonds-Reiri considered herself retired from the shearing board until a niggle to compete in this year’s 50th Golden Shears won her over.

It’s been more than twenty years since she last wore a competitor’s shirt in the woolhandling champs but Sandra said the 50th anniversary sealed her return.

While she religiously attends the Shears each year, she has only recently picked herself and her woolhandling broom up out of retirement.

“I’m not nervous at all. I have prepared myself in my way,” she said speaking from the Stadium today.

“I’ve fittened up, ate healthily, I know what prep you need to do. I’ve also been using the woolhandling broom around home just to stay familiar with broom handling.

“The other thing I did was I went out with my son last Friday to get familiar again.”

Sandra’s family are another reason why she will have a large presence at this year’s championships. She was cheering on her niece, Diana Edmonds, and granddaughter, Shani Graham, during the junior woolhandling heats this afternoon and her son, Lance, is competing in the heats for the coveted Open Shearing Champion title on Friday.

Sandra said she “can’t help it” but her son is definite favourite for the open shearing competition. However she’ll save a little of her support for a couple of shearing’s big names.

“Dean Ball is always among the favourites and he’s also always a little favourite of mine.

“I know David Fagan and Paul Avery are good but he’s my little favourite.”

SHEARS BETS PROVING POPULAR

BETS are coming in hard and fast for this year’s 50th Golden Shears annual shearing and woolhandling championships as play kicks off in Masterton’s War Memorial Stadium today.

Hawkes Bay shearer John Kirkpatrick currently holds pole position as favourite to win the Open Shearing Final, a place he also held at the same time last year. He’s currently paying $2.70, putting him $1.30 ahead of his closest rivals, two-time Golden Shears title holder Paul Avery of Taranaki and last year’s winner and shearing legend David Fagan of Te Kuiti.

The TAB opened up betting for the Golden Shears two weeks ago in an effort to give the event more exposure. They have also widened betting opportunities to cater for increased interest in the event, which is considered to be the pinnacle of international shearing and woolhandling.

In addition to the traditional Open Shearing winner stakes, punters can now put their money on the Top 3 finalists, Head to Head play offs between the top six shearing favourites, and the Trans-Tasman Shearing Test.

“The trans-Tasman test has been quiet popular,” said TAB shearing bookie Kieran McAnulty.

“We thought we’d give that one a bit more exposure because it has been shared by both countries over the past eight years and New Zealand are the hot favourites.”

Himself a Masterton man, Kieran said the Shears are something he is personally interested in and he will be following events with a keen eye.

“There are not many people who grew up in Masterton who don’t have an interest in the Shears.”

Monday 1 March, 2010

Golden Shears Fever Sets In

RUGBY World Cup eat yer heart out – the 50th Golden Shears are happening right here in Masterton this week and shearing fever has well and truly set in.

Hundreds of entrants, both men and women, are part of this year’s pilgrimage to Masterton to compete in the annual shearing and woolhandling championships, an event that is recognised internationally as the most prestigious of its kind. To add to the excitement, organisers are taking the show one step further with a range of events to celebrate the Shears’ 50th Anniversary.

Golden Shears president Mavis Mullins, herself a winning woolhandler in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, said Masterton will be alive with activity over the coming week, with shearing and sheep set to be the talk of the town.

“What’s really exciting this year is that the whole community has got in behind all the events - we’re really all in it together. And for the whole week, every day there’s something”.

Mavis said with so much happening she would be hard pressed to pick a favourite event for the week. From a Miss Golden Shears reunion yesterday to celebrity shearing in Masterton town centre right through to a photo exhibition documenting five decades of Golden Shears, on show at Aratoi, Museum of Art and History.

“There are some fabulous old photos. They really capture that pioneering New Zealand spirit and you kind of get a tingly feeling.”

And this is without even touching on the competitions this week, which kick off Wednesday afternoon with the novice and junior woolhandling and shearing heats. Competitions then run solidly each subsequent morning, afternoon and evening, culminating in the coveted Golden Shears Open Shearing Final on Saturday evening, for which tickets are close to selling out.

However while speculation for the winner of Saturday’s final is hot, fierce rivalry is on the cards for this year’s enormously popular veteran events on Thursday.

According to Mavis there are around 30 shearers entered in the 55-plus event and more than 40 in the 65-plus, and rumour has it the competition is going to be fierce.

“These guys are real men. They started shearing before we knew pasta was good for you and they didn’t go to the gym to train. They ate chops and spuds and didn’t complain. There are going to be some tough fellows up there for these events.”

One of those men is Carterton’s Kevin Aplin, who’s entered in the veterans 65-plus event. Kevin hasn’t competed since the 40th Golden Shears ten years ago but prior to that had participated at least thirty times.

Kevin said he hasn’t done any training and isn’t feeling ready for the competition – he’s works manager for the Golden Shears and so has been too busy supervising the stand being erected to think about training – but it all comes down to “how your mind feels at the end of the handpiece at the time”.

“It will be competitive, there’s no doubt about it. I’ve known some of (my competitors) for too long and I know there’ll be a struggle.”

Tickets for all events at the Golden Shears are selling well with only a few left for Saturday night’s final. Those who can’t make it to Masterton will be able to watch the action live via the Golden Shears website at www.goldenshears.co.nz.

Golden Girls Reunite

MORE than sixty people attended a reunion of the Miss Golden Shears competition yesterday, held in the stunning gardens of Te Whiti Homestead, east of Masterton.

Miss Golden Shears played a big part in the annual competition from 1971 through to 1989, as did the Make and Model contest which involved young women designing and modelling their own garments.

Taking part in the reunion was the very first woman to have ever been crowned Miss Golden Shears, Janine Wallace (nee Maroulis) of Masterton who was joined at the reunion by her mother Evelyn Maroulis.

Janine was Miss Golden Shears in 1971 and enjoyed holding the title so much that she gave full support to her sister, Carolyn, when she decided to enter the competition the following year. Carolyn went on to become the second ever Miss Golden Shears.

Part of the original competition in 1971 included modelling a ball gown. Janine’s mother owned a dress shop in Masterton at the time, Maroulis Gowns, and actually designed and handmade the dress that Janine wore to become winner.

Evelyn had originally designed the dress to enter into the Benson & Hedges Design Awards in 1971. It has 23 separate panels, 18 metres of fabric, and is made of one hundred percent fine merino wool.

“It is such a beautiful dress and I always thought that wearing it was like putting on a magic spell. I felt so amazing in it.”

Janine said she has many fond and even amusing memories of her time spent holding the Miss Golden Shears title. After being announced winner, she then spent three months travelling the country in the lead up to the Miss New Zealand contest. At the time Cameo cigarettes sponsored the competition and, being a contestant, Janine automatically received a carton of Cameo cigarettes every week.

“I didn’t smoke and I didn’t know what to do with them. So I ended up just giving them away to people.”

Finals a Sell Out Before They Begin

THE WEEK has only just begun but tickets for Friday and Saturday’s shearing and woolhandling heats and finals have already sold out.

The popularity of Golden Shears shearing and woolhandling events, which are widely recognised as the world’s top such competitions, combined with this year’s 50th anniversary celebrations, mean tickets have been in hot demand.

Around 1500 people, not including competitors and volunteers, will fill the seats at Masterton’s War Memorial Stadium on both nights. Friday evening’s fans are in not only for a grand display of shearing and woolhandling prowess but also a Variety Show including performances from the Topp Twins and Avidiva.

This is followed by a plethora of fun and entertainment over the whole of Saturday, building up to the coveted Golden Shears Open Shearing Final in the evening. The big names in shearing from across New Zealand and the globe will be vying for the title and the crowds are guaranteed a fantastic show whatever the outcome.

Speaking from the Shear Discovery Museum in Masterton, Golden Shears secretary Angeline Colquhoun said ticket sales had been fairly steady since they were first on sale in December but were suddenly in hot demand last week as people realised they didn’t have any time to lose. And while they have all sold out for now, she said there is still hope for those who missed out.

“People may still get (tickets) if they turn up on the day, say if someone doesn’t show up. But for now they have definitely sold out.”

For those who are keen to watch the action but missed out on tickets, events will be streamed live and available on: www.goldenshears.co.nz

Points and scoring systems

By Doug Laing

Scoring systems in shearing, woolhandling and pressing competitions are based on combinations of time, job and quality penalties. The lowest score wins.
In shearing time is calculated at a point for every 20 seconds, and job and quality points an average per sheep shorn, based on performance penalties recorded by judges on the board as the sheep are shorn, and quality penalties by judges in the pens after each the sheep have been shorn.
In woolhandling the time penalty is a point for every five seconds, and pressing it is a point for every 10 seconds, with judges, as they do in the shearing, noting penalties for faults or omissions which could detract from the value of the wool at sale.
While results at many shows are still calculated with pen, counter and calculator in hand, there are two electronic scoring systems for shearing.
Golden Shears is one of nine shows using the North Island system, operated by Lance Waddell, and 11 shows benefit from the duplicate South Island system, operated by John Lawton. Mr Waddell and assistant Marie Clarke took the North Island system to Australia for the World Championships in Toowoomba in 2005.
During all shearing heats at Golden Shears, the public see each shearer' s time and board points amassed as the sheep are being shorn, the board points sent to the system by remote hand-held counters. When the numbers on the display above each stand change from black to red moments after the last sheep is dispatched, it s the total score, including pen points.
In finals, pen points are withheld from the display in finals to maintain an element of suspense in prizegiving ceremonies.
It is hoped woolhandling will be integrated into the system in time for the 50th anniversary Golden Shears next year.