Invitation Blade Shearing Competition

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31195, 20 October 1966, Page 21

Invitation Blade Shearing Competition

Shearing and woolhandling competitions have become one of the most popular attractions at the show in recent years. These events have been confined to machine shearing but this year they will have even more appeal with a special invitation competition being included for blade shearing. Because blade shearing played such an important part in the country’s economy before the introduction of machines it was decided to include a demonstration-invitation competition of this method. Such is the calibre of those invited that, although the field is

small, the standard of work will be well up to the standard expected for a New Zealand championship final.

Five of the six chosen for the trial have won New Zealand blade-shearing championships in the last five years while the sixth member of the squad was runner-up last year, losing the title in a shear-off after tying in the final of the main competition. Those taking part are:

W. Karaitiana, Oxford, the 1961 champion; D. L. Hammond, Christchurch, 1962; W. J. Paisley, Ashburton, 1963; G. Karaitiana, Christchurch, 1964; L. Richards, Rakaia,

1965; and R. Perry, Rangiora, the 1965 runner-up and a finalist in four years of the five. Richards and Hammond have been in the New Zealand final four times out of five also.

Far from being a dying art, because of the advent of machines, blade shearing is gaining popularity again. Blade shearing continued to hold a place in high country areas of Canterbury; but it is finding favour again in the lower altitude areas now that shearing is becoming an almost year round occupation. Those taking part in the trial at the centennial show on Saturday are each shearing something like 20,000 to 23,000 sheep with the blades each season, which now lasts for eight to nine months. Blade shearing is not generally as fast as with machines but experienced men top the 200 mark with blades. G. Karaitiana has clipped 306 in 8 hours 40min this season, while Hammond put through 260 in eight hours. Handling difficult heavy woolled, wrinkly skinned Merinos with 121 b fleeces on flock ewes, Hammond and Karaitiana have kept pace with machine shearers.

Blade shearing is finding favour in the lower country districts since the advent of pre-lamb shearing. Blades are preferred for pre-lamb shearing from June to October as they leave a slightly longer length of wool on the sheep and do not remove the natural grease from the skin, which sometimes happens with close machine shearing. Both these factors give some measure of protection against the adverse weather conditions that may still be encountered during that stage of the year. About 100 blade shearers are operating in sheds throughout Canterbury and most of the younger ones have picked up the skills well, according to Mr Perry, who has organised the team for Saturday’s competition. These younger shearers have mastered the skills so well that many of them are shearing as well, and in many cases faster, than the standards achieved by the old time shearers. One 18-year-old has reached 150 a day with good sheep and another is over 100 a day.

Of the pool of blade shearers available in Canterbury today, 10 of them go out from Rangiora to do a round of sheds each year. Keeping pace with developments in other fields conditions for shearers have improved over the years also. Mr Perry recalled in Rangiora this week that about 30 years ago conditions were primitive and as well as the work being hard living conditions were tough. On one station a nearby creek provided the washing facilities for the shearers. Today that same station provides luxury accommodation, with showers and other facilities “almost like a motel.”

The judges for the blades Zealand Wool Board instrucshearing contest will be Mr W. Johnson, Ashburton, a New tor, and Mr R. H. Manning, Springbank, formerly of Hawarden.