At 3 o’clock the annual speed shear at the Kaniva Show kicked off with 50 entries between intermediate and open.
Nhill local Rebeca Reichenbach drew the first marble and set the otherwise all-male fields a time to chase.
Some very fast times, under 40 seconds to gain a place in the 6-person final for intermediate and under 30 for the open section with a few legendary shearers making their way to the truck to shear one young merino lamb.
The finals were keenly contested, with Rebecca gaining a spot in the final to ultimately finish 4th in a time of 38 seconds!!
The winner of the intermediate Wiramu Kiki sheared his final sheep in 30.94 seconds. 3 cash prizes in each section saw a very good reward for the winner due to generous sponsorship with $1200 for the winner!
The open promised to be a fast affair with the heats, meaning that 1 kick or wriggle cost valuable seconds that need to be made up–all in under 30 seconds just to make the final.
The crowd rode every blow in the finals, with slowest qualifier Brett Caldwell leading off with a not-slow time of 28.93 to set a pace that meant any mistake would leave the shearer out of the $!
The judges were constantly split on the quality of work as the 4th fastest qualifier Trevor Holland posted a lightening time of 22.65, much to the delight of the huge crowd gathered on the lawns in front of the hub.
The next 3 shearers couldn’t better the time and Trevor was crowned the open winner taking $3000 in cold hard cash home for his efforts.
L-R: Open Reignbeau Apuwai 3rd, Whanake Whare 2nd and Trevor Holland 1st; Quickest local shearer Dolton Austin with Jason Gordon, Intermediate Logan Smith 3rd, Jayden Mahaki 2nd and Wiremu Kihi 3rd. Photos: Nhill Free Press and Kaniva Times
All 6 shearers sheared their final lamb in under 30 seconds, that alone speaks volumes for the high standard of participants.
Many local shearers competed with Doltan Austin taking out fastest local award, $300, in a time of 31.60, a great time but not quick enough for an open final spot!
A huge thank you to the team of volunteers and sponsors that pull this event together, their efforts should not go unnoticed. It always amazes me that preparing the lambs takes longer than the event!
On a final note, good luck next week to the district representatives at the national shearing contest in Jamestown SA for spots representing Australia. We have many talented people in the shearing industry in our region!
Give it your best Jack King, Doltan Austin, Kirsty Woodhouse, Kirsty Pollack and Josh Bone.
This article appeared in the Nhill Free Press & Kaniva Times, 18 October 2023.
Related story: Austin shears over 500!
