Sheep expert Madge made it 60 shows on the trot

Madge Hows with the trophy for champion Romney ewe, which she won for the seventh consecutive year in 2014.

The history of Kaitaia's A&P association is littered with people who have consistently supported the annual event over many years, but few, if any, could hold a candle to Awanui sheep farmer Madge Hows.

She had a fall this year and spent some time in hospital, and is now living at Switzer Residential Care in Kaitaia, but she was at February's 127th show nonetheless, not to compete but to receive honorary life membership.

Mrs Hows had been a competitor at every show prior to that for 60 years, latterly all but single-handedly keeping the sheep and fleece competitions going. And she enjoyed considerable success, her rewards last year including the trophy for the champion Romney ewe, which had adorned her mantelpiece 15 times, and for seven years in a row. She doubted then, at the age of 94, that she could make it eight, however, and the fall that saw her hospitalised finally ended her run.

Madge Hows, with granddaughter Rebecca Forster, was just a spectator, for the first time in 60 years, at the 2015 Kaitaia and District A&P show.

She never lost her passion for farming though. Born and raised in Whangarei, she worked on the family farm there until she married her late husband, Ronald, at 29 and moved north. She had lived on their property on Kumi Rd ever since.

The secret to her success, as a farmer and an exhibitor, was dedication, and showering her sheep with TLC. And even at the age of 94, she was doing her best to keep the A&P tradition alive.

She did not hide her disappointment last year that entries in the sheep section were on the decline - there were no sheep or fleece entries at all this year - although she believed allowing for a broader range of breeds would help rectify that. And she did her best to interest others in supporting the show.

She bred Romneys, renowned for the quality of their wool and meat, for more than half a century, and had loyal customers who had been buying her rams for more years than she could remember. She was also constantly receiving offers to buy her remaining flock of 30.