King Country shearers set new World Record

Record-setting shearers (from left) Delwyn Jones, Jack Fagan, Llion Jones, Kelly Brill and Reuben Alabaster. Photo / SSNZ

Five King Country shearers have "blown all our expectations out of the water" in establishing a five-stand World strongwool lambshearing record of 3740 in nine hours.

The words came from Te Kuiti gun Jack Fagan who topped the day's tallies with 811 – the "fastest Fagan on earth", according to dad Sir David Fagan, who 29 years ago to the day shore 810 to set a solo record in Southland.

Also along to watch was uncle John Fagan, who shore 804 in the early 1980s, and among the crew for the day was cousin James Fagan, who shore 740 in a still-intact four-stand record in 2007.

Shearing at Atihau-Whanganui Incorporation's Te Pa Station, between Ohakune and Raetihi in the Central North Island on Wednesday, all five in the latest record hammered their previous best.

The 29-year-old Jack Fagan's effort complemented by 18-year-old Taihape shearer Reuben Alabaster's 774, Welsh shearers Delwyn Jones and Llion Jones, with 729 and 725 respectively, and "amazed-to-even-be-here" Kelly Brill, with 701.

Delwyn Jones, who shore a three-stand record in 2017, is from Corwen and Llion Jones from Llanwrst, maybe distant cousins from way-back but both now settled in New Zealand.

There were other family connections all around, with Llion Jones having wife Grace as his rousie, Loretta Brill likewise for son Kelly, and Alabaster having sister Lilly as his rousie and dad and shearer Riki in his pen.

Delwyn Jones's rousie was 2020-2021 No 1-ranked Junior competition woolhandler Rahera Kerr, while Kelly Perawiti was rousie for Jack Fagan.

There was no previous record for the nine hours, five stands strongwool lambs classification, but watched by seven World Sheep Shearing Records Society judges – one via an audio visual link from his home in Wales - the shearers showed they meant big business from the start.

Starting at 5am, they shore 810 in the first two hours to breakfast, and separated by morning and afternoon tea breaks and lunch they then shore successive 1hr 45min runs of 724, 737, 730 and 739 to the finish at 5pm.

Crews had the day before drafted 4000 lambs ready for the record, but even before the record day was halfway through shearing contractor Neil Fagan, who with wife Stacie managed the challenge, was disbelieving as he said: "This is unreal."

With the remote station still in the red zone of the Covid-19 Protection Framework's "traffic lights" system, general public were unable to be present, but the shearing was live-streamed, attracting a global audience.