A bit of plotting behind his back saw Waitetuna local Warren Parker presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Shearing Sports Award at the 2024 New Zealand Shearing Championships.
Warren thought he was preparing for the award to be presented to someone else.
“I started asking questions about it and David was being a bit evasive. When they called my name out, I was knocked off my perch. It was very unexpected and it’s a big honour.”
He says it makes all the hours of volunteer work worthwhile. Warren loves the sport but it’s the shearing sports community that keeps him involved.
“The people are amazing. It’s only a small community but everyone pulls together.”
His name will be added to a list of awardees including the famous Fagan brothers who are legendary figures in the sport. Champion shearer Sir David Fagan has broken several world records and won the Golden Shears title a record 16 times.
Warren has been shearing all his life but only had one shot at competitive shearing.
Back in the day the CrossFit gym at the Raglan rugby grounds was built by local farmers to hold shearing sports and it was here that Warren made his first and only attempt at the sport.
“I was just too nervous; I cut the ears and that was the end of my career,” he laughs.
He’s happier working behind the scenes; he’s the North Island chair and sits on the National Shearing Sports Committee.
As with all committees, he’s involved in the thankless admin work that makes the competition run smoothly.
Warren operates the timing system for the North Island show – an important tool in any shearing competition. More recently, he helped in updating the electronic sheep counters with a Hamilton IT company.
His family have been farming at Waitetuna since his grandparents moved from the Hawkes Bay when his father was a youngster more than 80 years ago.
Warren was introduced to shearing by Raglan local Bluey Stephens when he left school and it’s taken him to Australia, Canada, the States and the UK.
“Shearing just gets in your blood, even now, but it’s too painful and I’m too old,” he laughs.
The nature of shearing breeds competition; being paid per sheep, Warren says, the job gets quite competitive.
“You always want to do better than someone else.”
Even with the competition, it’s important that the shearing gangs work together.
“If someone’s not doing their job the whole shed fails. Even if you don’t get on with people you still have to pull together,” Warren says.
By Janine Jackson
