Mahurangimatters 11 January 2011 | 43 51 A&P SHOW – JANUARY 22
meet me at the fair
Shearing contest returns to centre stage in new pavilion
Gun shearer Neil Sidwell shows how it’s done.
lot of other rural career opportunities to choose from.” Neil is encouraging any young shearers
from the Warkworth district to come down and support the event in the new pavilion.
Proud Supporters of Warkworth A&P Show 2011
WHA–LM9
After a five year absence the 2011 Warkworth A&P Show welcomes back the sheep shearing competition in style. A new shearing pavilion for the Jokingly, Neil says that all a good shearer competition worth $50,000 has been needs is “no brains and a good back.” built at the Warkworth Showground’s The competition is split into categories in time for its first use on January 22. for junior, intermediate, senior, open Shearing competition organiser, judge and veteran shearers. and shearer Neil Sidwell, of Ruawai, is Categories are based on how many back on board to run the show. sheep a shearer can shear in a day. Neil. who has more than 50 years “A junior shearer can shear around experience in shearing competitions 180 sheep a day where as a senior/ both in New Zealand and overseas, open shearer can do more than 300.” organised the Warkworth competition Shearers are judged on the quality of for 18 years before leaving to take the their work and the time they take to event to the Auckland Easter Show. complete the sheep. “I had been running the shearing Points are deducted if a shearer cuts competition for years and thought it his sheep or does a second cut (goes was my time to step aside and let some over a previous cut). younger blood in,” he says. Only shearers with previous experience “I figured if I didn’t move on no one can enter the competition and entries would take my place.” will be accepted on the day. Although Neil stepped aside a lack of Anyone entering needs to have their support resulted in the demise of the own gear. Prize money and trophies competition at the Warkworth A&P are up for grabs. Show, but with the new facility on Neil says the amount of young shearers offer he has returned. has dwindled over the years along with Neil says shearing is a real crowd sheep numbers. pleaser especially for visitors who have “When I was a young shearer 50 years never seen a sheep shorn before. ago, shearing was a good way to earn “It’s a new experience for a lot of a living with around 97 million sheep foreign tourists and they think it’s in New Zealand. Now days there are great entertainment.” only around 27 million and there are a