Six-Man Gang Shears 2488 In Nine Hours

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30963, 20 January 1966, Page 1

Six-Man Gang Shears 2488 In Nine Hours

A six-man gang sheared 2488 two and three-year-old Romney ewes at Waipuna station, near Ikamatua, on the West Coast yesterday, according to a shearing contractor, Mr N. Sadler, who was a member of the team. He said that the ewes were carrying 51b or 61b of wool—they are shorn twice a year. Mr Sadler said that the gang had set out to better a record set in a North Island shed where 2133 were shorn by a six-man team working for nine hours. It had been claimed to be a world record. At Waipuna the gang worked one spell of two hours and four spells of an hour and three-quarters. At the

end of eight hours they had completed 2211 sheep The top shearer on the day was C. Chamberlain, of Reporoa, in the North Island. A farmer who has been shearing for about 11 years and started at a Wool Board course at Massey University of Manawatu, Mr Chamberlain’s tally for the day was 511. Mr Sadler said he believed that this would be a New Zealand record under shed conditions. The other members of the team and their tallies were M. Love 427, M. Sadler 410, M. Sarrell 395, N. Sadler 378, and R. Win 367. Mr Sadler said that Mr J. O’Malley, of Ikamatua, a Justice of the Peace, had acted as time keeper and kept a check on the tallies.