Digger Balme in action at a Te Kuiti event. Photo/SSNZ
By Chris Rattue
Digger Balme, a former world record holder, is the veteran shearer who still loves to fight it out with the younger brigade.
The 58-year-old from Otorohanga lines up in the iconic Golden Shears open event in Masterton this weekend, four decades after his tough first appearance as a junior saw him spend more time in a pub than shearing sheep.
After that inauspicious start, he has gone on to establish himself as a much-loved institution in this most rural of sports.
Balme - who runs a beef and sheep farm with his wife Cheryl - has seen significant changes in a pursuit he remains devoted to.
He chats about the greatest competitor he has ever seen, the English fitness super coach who is changing the game, the secret to breaking records, the joy shearing brings to his autistic son Kyle, and more.
When did you first compete in the Golden Shears, and how has it changed over the years?
I think my first year was 1982, I was in the juniors with a couple of mates. I didn’t know much about competition shearing and we spent most of it over the road in the Horseshoe pub after bombing out.
It was a huge event then, people came from everywhere. The competition is still big but you don’t get as many people coming to hang out and make it a social event anymore.
How many titles have you won in shearing, and what is your best at the Golden Shears?
I’ve never kept track but it would be over 100. I’ve made nine Golden Shears finals which is huge and a favourite memory is representing New Zealand against Australia.
We got a hiding in Fremantle but I’ll always remember our manager, the late Harry Wells, saying we’ll get the buggers back in Masterton which we did, which was pretty special.
My best at the Golden Shears was second to David Fagan in 1999. He was brilliant and by far the best shearer I’ve seen anywhere in the world.
He was taught how to shear a sheep perfectly at a young age and he never deviated from it. And he had great mental strength. I was lucky enough to shear with David in King Country and that was pretty good - every day was hard.
What makes a champion shearer?
Dedication. It’s not going to happen overnight. And getting back up after not doing so well, going back to the shed the next day and trying to work out where you went wrong and keep improving.
You set a team and individual world record in the three-stand, eight-hour lamb category…were you disappointed when it was overtaken?
Yes, I did 621 lambs, and with Roger Neil and Dean Ball we did 1784 as a team. That was 1999 I think, at Te Hape Station in Benneydale, which is where (legendary sports commentator) Keith Quinn was born and bred.
You know a record is going to get beaten at some stage. Things have evolved, shearers are fitter, and techniques and gear have improved. But you’ve held a world record which is pretty good.
So has training changed?
We used to prepare by doing heaps of shearing, and back in the day I was doing a lot of running, on the bike as well. It’s evolved now - a lot are using personal trainers. They do a lot of stretching and strength work, and not so much aerobic stuff.
A guy in England named Matt Luxton has been training 80 per cent of the people who go for records. He seems to have found the ideal way for shearers to prepare - not massive gym work but a lot of stretching, agility, stuff like that, and he’s pretty good with diet, which involves a typical top sports diet. I pretty much eat anything though - just good farm-cooked meals.
One of your sons Josh set a mark as the youngest Golden Shears title winner…
It was a very proud moment. He was 13 when he won the novice against people aged 16 to 25. In saying that, he was quite big for his age. He’s not competing anymore. He did rowing and just plays rugby now.
I’m told shearing is very special for your other son Kyle…
Kyle is autistic-nonverbal, but he just absolutely loves shearing. It’s probably one of the reasons I’m still doing it, because he gets so much enjoyment out of going to the competitions.
He will sit there all day watching shearing, jumping up and down getting excited. Everyone knows him - he’s quite a character. The industry isn’t that big and they all look out for him and look after him.
He’s 19 and has been going to shows all his life. I think he likes watching me but he gets more excited when he sees some of the other guys he idolises - Johnny Kirkpatrick is one. Kyle likes the people who take the time to talk to him and hang out with him.
He’s got other favourites like Jack Fagan, David’s son. Kyle will be at the bottom of the stairs and they give him the high five, and he is just so happy.
Apart from your record attempts, you’ve supported plenty of others…how many, and what does that involve?
We tried to count it up - it’s over 25.
There’s a lot that goes on beforehand including liaising with the farmer.
The most important thing is to pick the right sheep. You might have a mob of 5000 lambs and you want to pick out the best 800. You need a good eye for stock, to pick sheep that are going to shear really well and are pretty much the same size.
Then you’ve got to get the little things right - where your machine is set up, helping with the gear on the day, and getting the sheep as warm as you can in the shed because they shear better then.
Once you get one between your legs you know if it is going to shear any good or not.
It’s also about motivation on the day, having people who can motivate you if things aren’t quite going to plan. You need a really good team behind you.
Women’s sport is a big issue - what is its place in shearing?
It’s growing, a bit like rugby, including women going for world records. Women have to shear in the open events but some competitions have women’s events.
And there are definitely more young girls in the shearing industry. There are two young girls from Wairoa where I’m working this week and they will compete as novices at the Golden Shears.
What are your aims at Masterton this week, and beyond that?
There are probably 70 shearers in the open series - I’d like to make the top 30, then at a stretch make the top 12.
I’m not going too bad at the moment. But if I don’t make it, it’s not the end of the world. Yes, I’ve still got that competitive thing going on. But I don’t put too much pressure on myself now.
Back in the day, in my 20s and 30s, it was the be-all and end-all. You just had to make that Golden Shears final or you thought your bloody life was going to end. I don’t put myself through that mental anguish anymore.
I’ll keep doing what I’m doing as long as I can, while I’m fit and able.
There might be a couple of older shearers, but I’m the oldest who is still fairly competitive. I was told the other day I’ve been in open grade for 37 years. I might as well do another three, and get to 40.
The initiative gets farmers off the farm and into the water.