FORMER Victorian machine shearer John Nicholls has set an Australian record for blade shearing sheep just three years after taking up the trade in New Zealand.
The 53-year-old shore more than 50 mixed sex first cross lambs every two-hour run to finish with a record of 216 sheep at Edenhope last Friday.
It is believed to be the first official Australian record for blade shearing, though legendary Australian shearer Jack Howe was recorded as shearing 321 sheep with blades at Blackall in 1892.
At Edenhope, Mr Nicholls shore a total of 223 sheep with the blades in the eight-hour day with seven sheep being disallowed for the record by judges Austin Grigg and Alan Edwards.
Mr Nicholls listened to ACDC, Airborne and Metallica on his ipod as he sheared to help his concentration.
“Blade shearers must tend to feel younger as they grow older,” he said.
The now New Zealand-based shearer found the Edenhope sheep harsher-cutting than the Merinos he was familiar with.
Mr Nicholls normally sheared superfine Merinos and some comebacks during the six-month NZ blade shearing season in the South Island from June to November. This included a NZ high country operation that shore 40,000 Merinos with eight or nine blade shearers.
Despite feeling “stuffed” for the last 45 minutes of his record shear, Mr Nicholls said blade shearing was easier on his back and legs than machine shearing.
“It’s a lot easier on the body, you just shear wherever the sheep wants to be.”
Mr Nicholls started machine shearing with his father Alec when he was 15-years-old, shearing around Orford, Hawkesdale, Willaura, Cavendish, Edenhope, Balmoral, Ivanhoe and far western NSW.
A NZ shearer introduced Mr Nicholls to blade shearing several years ago at an Echuca vintage engine day and former Hamilton blade shearer Laurie Hermann sold him a set of blades. But the NZ Tectra program trained Mr Nicholls to the highest level in the country.
Edenhope Pastoral and Agricultural Society secretary Christine Bull said about 250 people watched Mr Nicholls and Apsley machine shearer Reagan Hamilton, who shore 40 lambs in 30 minutes and 39 seconds.
Mr Nicholls and South Australian blade shearer Jono Dalla will represent Australia at the 2010 world championships in Wales next year.
