Shear hard work makes King a winner
Colin King MP proved he still has what it takes when he won the veteran category at the Golden Shears 50th Anniversary contest held on Thursday, 4 March, 2010, in Masterton.
40 contestants took part in the competition for the title in the Veterans Shearing Grade 1and Mr King used the early qualifying rounds to get in “a bit of practice”. Each time he completed a round his times improved, going from 8th placing to 4th in the semis and then first place in the final round.
King shore six sheep in seven minutes 43 seconds in the final. “I dropped my last sheep 34 seconds behind the fastest shearer in the final but won the title once the quality of the work had been assessed,” he says.
This year’s success follows on from a long history of successes at the Golden Shears; Mr King has won in 1982, 1987 and 1988.
Colin’s only training for this year’s Golden Shears was at a competition in Blenheim where he was supposed to accompany champion shearer Paul Avery but was talked into having a go himself. “We shore 10 sheep that day but I had trouble with the last five – it was a painful business because I lacked the essential fitness,” he says.
“It was great to be back and participating in the Golden Shears competition – it was good to be a part of the atmosphere and meet up with many of my fellow competitors and friends.”
