Work nearly done on new home for Waimate Shears

Waimate Shears president Warren White views the new pavilion at the Southern Canterbury A&P showgrounds in Waimate. Photo / Sally Rae

Waimate Shears will celebrate its 50th anniversary in style in October.

The event will be held in the new, purpose-built, multi-use facility at the Southern Canterbury A&P showgrounds in Waimate.

Waimate Shears president Warren White said work began in November last year and was now nearing completion, and he was delighted with how it was looking.

''Everyone's rapt,'' he said.

The shearing competition was forced to look for a new home when a new multimillion-dollar indoor stadium complex was built, replacing the old Waimate Stadium, its long-standing home.

The new facility, just under 900sqm, is equipped with a hall with a concrete floor, a dining room, a kitchen, a secretary's office, toilets and showers.

It can host a variety of events and Mr White hoped it would be used for the likes of weddings and 21st birthday parties. A fundraising Argentinian-style barbecue was likely to be held this month.

The anniversary event would include a dinner at the pavilion.

It was also hoped to have an invitational speed shear for top shearers and, if there were enough competitors, an intermediate blade shearing competition, which would be the only one in the world.

Donations were still being welcomed for the facility, which was expected to cost just over $750,000.

Earlier this year, ILT Stadium Southland hosted the World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships, to much acclaim.

While Waimate's new pavilion was not quite big enough for such an event, Mr White did not rule out putting in a bid for the world event at some stage.

A marquee would have to be used as well, but some overseas countries had done that, he said.