A teenager from a remote corner of northwestern New South Wales has created a major piece of sheep shearing history by winning the Golden Shears Junior final in Masterton.

The Friday-afternoon triumph by 18-year-old Tyron Cochrane in a six-shearer final of five New Zealand strongwool sheep each was his first in competition, the first New Zealand Golden Shears title win by an Australian since legendary shearer John Allan’s win in the Intermediate final in the first year of the championships in 1961, and possibly the first by a First Nation Aboriginal representative, anywhere.

It is thought to have been just the 11th win by a non-New Zealand competitor across more than 460 shearing and woolhandling titles decided in the 61 years of the championships, which have this week bounced back after two years of cancellations in the global pandemic.

From Goodooga, in the Brewarrina Shire, home of the Yuwaalaraay people of parents Terry and Belinda and just 20km from the Queensland border and recognised as one of the most disadvantaged areas of New South Wales, his win was a major step not only for his family and people but also for the First Nation employment development projects of Dubbo-based REDi, which brought a small team to New Zealand and the Golden Shears the Golden Shears to get first-hand the feel of shearing sports competitions in New Zealand.

Following an experimental trip to the New Zealand Merino Shears in Alexandra in October by an earlier group, with Australia-based New Zealand shearing legend and project mentor Sam Te Whata, Cochrane and two others with REDi deputy chief executive Michael Cooper just five weeks ago and competed in shearing sports for the first time at Taihape on January 28.

He has been shearing for Masterton contractor Paddy Mason.

Despite the comparative lesser familiarity of the New Zealand breeds, after shearing mainly fine-wooled merinos in Australia, Cochrane qualified for a final for the first time six days later and finished sixth at the North Island championships in Marton on February 4.

He was then third at the Aria Waitangi Day Sports on February 6, fifth at the Southern Shears at Gore, in the South Island on February 18 and again at the Taumarunui Shears back in the Central North Island last Friday(February 24) and the Apiti Sports Shears the ext day.

All were won by shearers he was to meet in today’s final, thus, barely having previously travelled further afield than the 415km from Goodooga to Dubbo, where he has shorn for well-known contractor and shearer Steve “Muddy” Mudford - having initially been shown the handpiece by his dad, also a shearer - Cochrane never dreamed of a win in the sport let alone at the Golden Shears.

Not even when he was second to finish and was second on time and shearing board quality points while awaiting the judging decisions from the finished product in the pens to determine the final outcome.

He hopes the win will inspire other young Australians into shearing, particularly those of the Aboriginal community at home, where he has three sisters.

Cooper said for Cochrane to have qualified for the final was a mjor achievement on what was a venture designed to give young hopefuls the experience, and be the trailblazers for their contemporaries.

“To win was the cherry on the top,” he said.

Result:

Golden Shears Junior shearing final: Tyron Cochrane (Goodooga NSW) 7min 16.889sec, 27.044pts, 1; Jake Goldsbury (Waitotara) 6min 30.912sec, 29.746pts, 2; Cody Waihape (Gore) 8min 46.864sec, 31.543pts, 3; Emma Martin (Gore) 9min 10.982sec, 32.749pts, 4; Dan Rogers (Raetihi) 8min 39.114sec, 32.756pts, 5; Ryka Swan (Wairoa) 7min 43.711sec, 33.586pts, 6.

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