History has been made by the Golden Shears Society with the appointment of a woman as president. Dannevirke businesswoman Mavis Mullins has been picked to lead the society towards it 50th birthday celebrations in 2010. Mrs Mullins and her husband Koro are regarded as part of the furniture at the Golden ShearsChampionships and, as joint owners of a shearing company, are known from one end of the country to the other. Her election at this year's annual meeting of the society on Thursday breaks a long tradition of Wairarapa farmer appointments to the position. Mrs Mullins is a past winner of the Golden Shears open woolhandling championship, in both 1987 and 1992, and has participated in the shears in various roles for years. In 2005 she became the first woman to manage a New Zealand shearing and woolhandling team, competing in the World Championships in Australia and bringing back two titles. Koro Mullins is pivotal to the success of the shears also, and is one of two commentators who calls the action at each year's contest. Mrs Mullins is a past winner of the Maori Businesswoman of the Year and was named a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to agriculture. She is an executive director of Paewai Mullins Shearing Ltd and Paewai Mullins Systems. Apart from helping the society towards its 50th anniversary she will also be instrumental in helping stage the 2012 World Shearing Championships in Masterton. A society spokesman said the decision to appoint Mrs Mullins as president came after careful consideration. "Mavis is very highly respected, she has a lot of mana and is able to generate a lot of enthusiasm to go with the job. She will put her stamp on the Golden Shears." Mrs Mullins said it is a great privilege and an honour to be appointed Golden Shears president. Although she is already a very busy person she believes firmly in the motto if you want someone to do a job you appoint a busy person. "Shearing is a great sector and if you really love something then it's not really work." Mrs Mullins said she would be working with a "fantastic team". "They have plenty of history and experience." One of the challenges she intends to take up is to try to engage Masterton more as a town with the Shears. "I just wonder whether Masterton really knows what it has got with the Shears."
