The "phenomenal" efforts of a group of shearers and woolhandlers on Waitangi weekend will benefit the Southland Charity Hospital, TV presenter Matt Chisholm says.
More than 10,000 lambs received a haircut during Shear 4 Blair, a 24-hour fundraising shearing event held at Wohelo Station woolshed at Moa Flat in West Otago.
Braydon Clifford, Cole Wells, Eru Weeds and David Gower started the first of 12 two-hour runs at 6am on Sunday morning, finishing at 2pm on Monday.
West Otago farm manager and cancer survivor Shaun Bradley took to the handpiece, shearing 50 fleeces and Southland MP Joseph Mooney pitched in as well.
The Southland Charity Hospital Trust was established in 2019 to provide healthcare for people living in the Southern DHB area.
Winton man Blair Vining died of bowel cancer in 2019, after calling for cancer care to be equitable for all New Zealanders. His wife Melissa set up the Southland Charity Hospital in his honour.
The scoreboard at the Shear 4 Blair 24hr Shearathon. Photo / File
Chisholm, who hosted the event's livestream, was in awe of the teams' effort.
"Three eight-hour days, back to back to back through the night without sleep, shearing huge tallies," he told The Country's Jamie Mackay.
"It was a lesson in community and mental toughness. I've never quite seen anything like it. It was great to be a part of it."
While all the shearers were impressive, Chisholm was "mesmerised" by Eru Weeds' performance in particular, which he described as "robotic".
"He looked up at the clock, looked back down and just climbed into his work. Every blow seemed the same as the one before. Holy hell it was a bloody lesson."
Weeds sheared 664 on day one, 632 on his second shift and 595 on his final eight hours.
Chisholm was also "blown away" by Cole Wells from Roxburgh's tally of 1435, especially since "he's not a full-time shearer".
"He'd be lucky to do a month shearing in a year so they reckon."
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Chisholm witnessed the physical toll the event had on Wells.
"In the end, you could see the pain written all over his face. He must be 6 foot 2, crouching right down, almost on the floor himself, shearing these little ewe lambs.
"He was in so much pain but he just kept on going."
All funds from Shear 4 Blair, including the shearers' wages, were donated to the Southland Charity Hospital, Chisholm said.
"It was pretty phenomenal to be there and be part of it. To watch these guys just hammering away for a good cause."
Chisholm said it was "quite emotional" for Melissa Vining, who attended the event.
"I watched her as she walked in. You could almost see her welling up as she took in what was happening.
