Born over a couple of beers in an Aussie pub, Shear for Life has been 12 months in the making with organisers overwhelmed by the support for the unique fundraising venture.
Ashburton shearer Rocky Bull said he and his mates Alan (Bimbo) Bramley and Steven (Dixy) Lynch were just having a couple after a day’s shearing when they chatted about getting a few old mates together.
“It seemed like a good idea to get a group of shearers together for a reunion, have a bit of fun, tell a few yarns and perhaps raise some money for charity.
“It’s taken months to pull together, like 12 months since we first threw up the idea and most of that time has been spent tracking shearers down,” Bull said.
“And now I am getting calls from around the world from people who are hearing about it and want to be involved.”
With 70 shearers confirmed, most over the age of 50 and the eldest 81, the event has attracted both nationwide and international interest.
“It’s just blown us away. It very quickly grew too big for three fellas to pull off.”
Buoyed by the interest and support the trio pulled in a few shearing mates and good friends with the expertise to help make it happen, a committee was formed and it’s all go.
Raising moeny for prostate and breast cancer, Shear for Life will see 70 of the world’s best shearers line up on February 23 to shear 3000 sheep in eight hours.
The event will take place courtesy of the Ewing family in the woolshed on their Hindsridge Farm just south of Ashburton.
The woolshed has been extended and had a spruce-up to cater for the event.
The Ewing family is also supplying the 3000 crossbred lambs to be shorn.
“So, we have pretty much ticked all the boxes with just the fine-tuning to do now,” event MC Craig Harrison said.
“And, of course, we’re very grateful to the Ewing family who have made it all possible.”
The list of shearers looks very much like the who’s who of the shearing world with the names including many times world champion Sir David Fagan, his fellow world-stage competitors Alan McDonald from Te Kuiti, Darrin Ford, Southland, and Tom Wilson who made his name in shearing in Scotland.
The 70-strong shearing team includes 10 women with mother and daughter world record-holders Marg Bayne and Ingrid Smith from Wairoa and former world record holder Jillian Burney from Taupo among the line-up.
Then there’s the celebrity list that includes four ex-All Blacks – Sir Brian Lahore, Andy Earl, Jock Ross and New Zealand prostate cancer ambassador Buck Shelford.
Seventeen of the shearers are either current or former world record holders with several of the women having also featured in the She Shears movie.
“The line-up of shearers has well exceeded expectation. It’s all gotten much bigger than ever imagined.
“All of sudden it was too much for a handful of blokes to handle and we are very grateful for the willingness of the experienced people who were approached to help pull all the strands together,” Harrison said.
Sponsorship has also well exceeded expectation.
“We targeted a few sponsors in the farming and agribusiness sector and it’s just snowballed. It’s a unique way of raising funds and it’s certainly generated local interest and way beyond that, too, with nationwide support also very forthcoming.
“Sponsors have put their hands up, given and kept on giving.”
While the three buddies thought it would be cool to target $10,000 that soon became very real and they looked out to $20,000 but it could well be closer to $100,000.
“It’s climbing very quickly and now we have no target in mind. It will be a surprise to us on the day and is looking to be a very pleasant one at that.”
The money will be equally shared three ways between the prostate and breast cancer organisations and Ashburton Cancer Support.
Shear for Life kicks into action at 8am on February 23 with the aim to have the 3000 sheep shorn by 4pm.
Shearers will work in relays of eight changing every 20-30 minutes with the public able to view the shearing from the woolshed floor or via the screen in the adjacent marquee where food and drinks will also be available.
After the shearing there will be a charity auction with items including signed All Blacks and Crusaders jerseys, a Makapua Station (Hawke’s Bay) hunting package, a Mt Aspiring (Wanaka) helicopter flight, a shearing handpiece and several accommodation packages around the country.
Entry to the event is by gold coin donation.
