A NEW world eight-hour Merino lamb shearing record of 604, set last Thursday at Kulikup near Boyup Brook, was Black to Black for brothers Koen and Dwayne.
Dwayne Black had set the record at 570 lambs at Yerramullah Park, Badgingarra, on October 6, 2002, with runs of 142, 143, 142 and 143, but backed younger brother Koen 'Kojak' Black, 26, from Boyup Brook, in from the start to smash his record.
Smash it Koen did, after the attempt was delayed a day due to wet weather - known as the 'Black curse' to the family because Dwayne's records were mostly set in wet weather.
Shearing smoothly and cleanly in a shed set up for the record attempt by his team, his first two-hour run of 154 lambs shorn set the scene for a change in brotherly record holder.
Koen's former competition shearer and shearing trainer father, Peter, who has organised many world shearing record attempts and been a judge for others, sat in a chair on the board beside his son's stand, watching every blow and shouting encouragement.
His second for the attempt, brother Dwayne, also a shearing trainer who flew over from New Zealand to help set up, drew on his own record-setting experiences, kneeling, crouching or standing beside him, talking in his ear, reminding him to take a drink or change cutters, keeping him on track.
Koen went on to produce runs of 151, 152 and 147, for the 604 total and new world record.
He passed Dwayne's record with about 25 minutes to shear and his team and a small crowd of family and industry spectators - the record attempt was not open to the public at the property owner's request - became vocal, urging him on.
His wife Mina and two of his three sons, Peter, 6 and Tai, 5 - Hura, six months, was being looked after in the crowd - joined him on the board for the countdown to the last few sheep.
Koen, who gave up drinking alcohol and trained seriously for five to six months with regular gymnasium workouts to build his fitness for the record attempt - a shearing record takes roughly the same toll on the body as running two marathons back to back, according to university tests - maintained his rhythm and long smooth blows to the end.
On Tuesday last week 20 representative lambs were shorn and their combined fleece weighed at 25.38 kilograms, more than the average 1kg per lamb required for a world record.
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They rejected just one lamb - the last one in the third run as Koen was racing to beat the clock to try and grab and start another before time ran out.
Confirming the new record at a presentation ceremony afterwards, Mr McLaren called on Dwayne Black, as previous record holder, to present the new record certificate to his brother.
"I'm so proud of you today mate, you deserve this, welcome to the (world record holder) club," Dwayne said.
Accepting the certificate Koen was overcome with emotion and could not speak.
Having recovered with a spa on Sunday and on Monday was back helping Shear Pride shearing contractor and his boss, Floyde Neil, set up for his own world shearing record attempt on November 12, Koen said while the record had always been his "dream", it wasn't until last year he thought he had a chance.
"I shore 614 (lambs) in the shed in October last year and realised then that the record could be within my reach," he said.
"But that was without any pressure.
"Everything changes on the day (of a record attempt), you've got judges watching, a lot of work has gone into setting it all up, you put the pressure on yourself not to let the team down.
"Everything has to go right.
"I knew once I'd got the first run out of the way, then I would settle down and just get on with it.
"Really though, while it's my name on the (record) certificate, there's a lot of people's names that should be there too because it wouldn't have happened without them,"
He said he would now turn his attention to another of the two remaining world records his brother holds."
I think I might have a go at his nine-hour record, in the same shed about this time next year," he said.
Dwayne Black set the world nine-hour Merino lamb shearing record at 664 on October 3, 2004, also at Yerramullah Park, Badgingarra.
Along with Troy Stansbury, he also holds the world two-stand eight-hour Merino lamb shearing record at 1079, set the same day as his previous solo record that was broken by his brother.
An appeal for Breast Cancer Research Centre - WA, launched by Koen Black for his world record attempt raised close to $3000 on the day.
Through Dwayne Black, Lojik Shearing Training on its Facebook page is auctioning the handpiece, comb and cutter used by Koen for the last hour to set the new world record.
The winning bid by tomorrow, Friday, November 4, will also be donated to Breast Cancer Research Centre - WA
Koen Black's record of 604 Merino lambs shorn in eight hours will now become a new target for Louis Brown, 34, his brother Jim Brown, 38, and their South Australian cousin Imran Sullivan, 32, on their way to an attempt at the world three-stand eight-hour, Merino lamb shearing record on Saturday.
As well as the three-stand record of 1208 lambs, set in 2003 in South Africa, each of the shearers will be attempting to break Koen Black's solo record of 604.
That attempt will be held at the Pech family property, Bella Vista, Pootenup Road, Wansbrough, near Tambellup and the referees will be Ronnie King (convener), New Zealand, Mike Henderson, Grant Borchardt, Queensland, Dave Grant, Queensland and Ralph Blue, New South Wales.
As previously reported in Farm Weekly, Louis Brown holds the world eight-hour Merino ewe shearing record and was first shearer to average less than a minute each to shear 497 ewes.
He was one of many shearers to offer encouragement to Koen Black on Facebook during his attempt and to congratulate him on his record afterwards.
On Saturday, November 12, Floyde Neil, 29, also from Boyup Brook, will attempt to break the world eight-hour crossbred lamb shearing record at a property operated by Slab Hut Grazing at Alger Road, Kojonup.
Referees will be Neil Fagan (convener), New Zealand, Grant Borchardt, Mike Henderson and Mark Baldwin, New South Wales.
Mr Neil has to shear more than 524 crossbred lambs to break the record set by New Zealander Aidan Copp in the New South Wales Riverina on August 17, 2019.
