The family has been a provider of the Merino sheep for the circuit finals for many years, and continues with Simon and Mark Paterson, the fifth generation of the family farming in the area.
Stratford, from Invercargill, went into the finals day with the No 1 ranking among 12 shearers from points across five qualifying rounds throughout the curtailed season.
He was also the TAB favourite, shearing his 18th final in the event and now with 74 open-final wins, all more than the rest of the qualifiers put together.
The finals followed five rounds of qualifying on fine wool at the New Zealand Merino Shears in Alexandra at the start of October, crossbred longwool of the Waimata Spring Shears a week later, the New Zealand Corriedales Championships in Christchurch in November, and the second-shear and lambswool rounds shorn at the Apiti and District Show Shears on February 27.
Shearing legend Brian (Snow) Quinn, who won the Circuit final in 1980 and then won the World title, watches the first circuit final in the home territory of Central Otago. Photo / SSNZ
The circuit started as the McSkimming Memorial Triple Crown, with the first round at Alexandra in September 1972 and the finals at the Golden Shears in Masterton the following March, in memory of fine wool shearing legend Fred McSkimming.
Stratford became only the fifth shearer to win the Merino championships and the Triple Crown in the same season, following Brian (Snow) Quinn (1979-1980), Hamahona (Samson) Te Whata (1981-1982), Dion Morrell (1996-1997) and Darin Forde (2001-2002).
Describing himself as ageing – he is in his 40s and in his 25th year in the open grade – Stratford said there would be a time when he would "button off", but shearing the competitions is a "disease" he can't shrug off.
"Once you start you can't stop," he said.
Stratford said in most seasons he'd do "20,000kms easy" on the road chasing the shows, which will be eased by his prize of a year's lease of a Hyundai Santa Fe.
Also, there were cash and voucher prizes – but not enough to cover the costs of competing - and selection in the New Zealand transtasman series team - if a series is held.
The finals started with two semi-final heats of six shearers, after which, uniquely all six in the faster second heat qualified for the final soon afterwards, over 20 sheep – five Merino wethers, five half-bred long ewes, five second-shear ewes and five lambs.
The challenge was first thrown out by Masterton shearer Paerata Abraham, who was the top qualifier for the final, as well as having the fastest time, of 23min 14.8sec.
It was an indicator the final would be one of the longest on record in New Zealand shearing, with Abraham on Stand 1 first off the board in 27min 22.1sec.
Having led the race all the way, Abraham pipped Stratford (Stand 5) by just 0.78sec, but the southerner had the best quality points, both on the board and in the pens, and won by 2.2165pts, from Parnassus shearer Hugh De Lacy, who also had better quality points.
Abraham was third, Jack Fagan, of Te Kuiti fourth, Ringakaha Paewai, of Gore, was fifth, and sixth the TAB's 100-1 outsider Willy McSkimming, of Oamaru, a grandson of Fred McSkimming and the first of the family to contest the final.
There were surprise eliminations in the semi-finals, most notably defending champion Leon Samuels, of Invercargill, who stepped up to be Stratford's pen-boy in the final.
Results from the PGG Wrightson Vetmed National Shearing Circuit finals at Armidale Station, Gimmerburn, on Saturday, March 5, 2022:
