It’s been an extraordinary summer of women breaking lamb and ewe shearing records, five so far and another one could soon follow – and they’re getting closer to the men too.
If Sacha Bond’s bid this week to break the women’s nine-hour strong-wool ewes world record is successful, it will be the sixth world record set by Kiwi women this season.
And they’re closing in on the men’s world records.
The extraordinary summer of records kicked off in December when Southland shearer Megan Whitehead smashed the solo women’s eight-hour strong-wool lamb world record. She also broke the two-stand record in partnership with Hannah McColl.
Soon after, Bond claimed the world record for the most lambs shorn by a woman in a nine-hour day. Then in January, Catherine Mullooly broke the solo women’s eight-hour strong-wool ewes record, which – as it happens – had been set only three days earlier by another Kiwi, Amy Silcock.
It may seem surprising so many New Zealand women have powered their way to these new world records in quick succession but shearing legend Jills Angus Burney says these unprecedented results can be explained.
The former world record holder turned barrister believes growing industry support for female shearers is behind the recent flurry of success.
“These young, ambitious athletes are really efficient and disciplined shearers, and they’ve now got the support of the community around them,” she says. “But it’s taken 35 years for the dynamics to be in place – for the industry to catch up with the ability of women shearers.”
Even as recently as 2020, Angus Burney says the understanding wasn’t there – when four Kiwis (including Whitehead and Silcock) set the women’s four-stand nine-hour strong-wool ewes world record.
“On that January 2020 afternoon, there was a whole industry that didn’t believe four women could do over 450 – and we did over 500 on average,” says Angus Burney, who convened the successful world record bid.
Megan Whitehead. Photo / Getty Images
“The chief judge was gobsmacked,” she adds. “He couldn’t believe a woman could do 400, let alone 600.”
The four-stand record helped to normalise women performing at the highest levels. “As a result, they’ve now got incredible support within the industry,” she says.
Knowing the opportunities for women haven’t always been as bright, Whitehead is grateful to be shearing at a time when women are taken seriously.
“Back in the day, you’d never really see a female shearing. Now there are so many of us, it’s becoming normal. And there are lots of people to help you, whereas it used to be really hard to get help. Guys would look at a female and wouldn’t even give them the time of day.”
Though Angus Burney may not be shocked by the latest surge of world records, what she does find surprising is how close female shearers are getting to the men’s records.
“No one – me included – could have imagined a woman being within 100 shears of the men’s record,” she says.
Megan Whitehead’s tally of 686 for the eight-hour strong-wool lamb record (which romped past the previous record of 601) moved her notably closer to Jack Fagan’s men’s world record of 754. During the course of the day, Whitehead spent 42 seconds a lamb on average.
“It’s what I call catch, hatch and dispatch,” says Angus Burney. “You’ve got to catch the sheep in two seconds, shear it in 38 seconds, get it down the porthole in one second and then go in for your next one.”
Even Whitehead herself is amazed by how close she’s getting to the men’s records.
“I thought it was impossible for my tallies to be up with the male tallies,” says the 27-year-old. “I never thought I’d get this far, but I have.”
When it comes to shearing lambs (as opposed to ewes), Whitehead is convinced women can match their male counterparts.
“I believe women can keep up with the men in a lamb’s tally,” she says. “Shearing lambs involves more technique than strength, although when you chew numbers like that you definitely need strength too.”
Megan Whitehead. Photo / Kayla Mckenzie
Whitehead describes herself as “pigheaded, stubborn and driven” and finds shearing addictive. Accordingly, her sights are now set on the nine-hour lambs record next summer.
“For me, it’s never enough,” she says. “I want to work towards 800 in nine hours. So I’ll need to pick up just over a second a sheep.”
Having reviewed her recent world-record breaking effort, Whitehead can already spot ways to improve. “I’ve got a fair bit to work on,” she says. “Looking back over the day, there are things I need to fix and concentrate on.”
Battling to be taken seriously in the woolshed is something Angus Burney experienced while blazing a trail to claim the nine-hour lambs world record in 1989.
“I came across it for decades,” she says. “A lot of men didn’t actually want women shearing. They’d say: ‘When are you going to get married and have kids?’ And when you carried your box into the shed they’d think you were carrying your boyfriend’s toolkit.”
According to Angus Burney, athletes such as Dame Valerie Adams and Dame Lisa Carrington have helped to normalise muscular women performing incredible feats, which in turn has helped change attitudes within the shearing industry. She is delighted to see the “unbelievable community of people” getting out and supporting the latest world record bids.
Like Angus Burney, Whitehead has great hopes for the next generation of female shearers. And she is only too happy to share her hard-won wisdom with those keen to follow in her footsteps.
“Girls see myself and other women doing records and they look up to us,” Whitehead says. “They think, ‘If they can do it, well I can too,’ whether it is a record or just taking up shearing.
“I have young girls message me, asking for advice. It’s pretty cool because back in my day I didn’t have that. I just had to fight alone,” she says.
Whitehead attributes her world record success to her deep passion for shearing. “I love it to bits,” she says. “I would do it for free if I were a millionaire.”
Megan Whitehead on her way to a tally of 686 for the eight-hour strong-wool lamb record. Photo / Supplied
Whitehead values being part of the shearing community, appreciating the wide-ranging support she receives. The “humble legend” (Angus Burney’s words) even appreciates having her records surpassed.
“Records are there to be broken,” Whitehead says. “Otherwise it would be boring.”
It certainly hasn’t been boring this season, with Whitehead and Bond taking each other’s world records. (Whitehead broke Bond’s eight-hour lambs record, and Bond toppled Whitehead’s nine-hour lambs record with a tally of 720, becoming the first woman to shear more than 700 lambs.)
