With 18 years behind her as a shepherd in the North of England and setting up a new life running a pub in New Zealand, Sarah Robinson should have been happy to have seen the back of her last sheep.
But unhesitatingly agreeing to host a Speedshear to raise funds for families of the Pike River mining disaster victims she said from Dawson’s Hotel in the West Coast town of Reefton: "It’s always been an ambition of mine to get sheep into the bar."
But never did she dream of such an event as that on Saturday night now promises to be as the Shearing Sports Charity Speedshear brings not only a flock of sheep through the inn but also 10 of the World’s best shearers to take the wool off their backs.
"This is just fantastic," she said as she recalled the moment she was asked just last Monday if she would host the event, just two nights after idea emerged over beers among shearers at birthday party in the North Island.
Within hours financial support was coming-in from around the town, and the selection of mainly World Champion and World record breaking shearers were making their commitments.
As news of the event spread globally Shearing Sports New Zealand received an inquiry about how to donate and how to bid for a singlet worn by World shearing icon David Fagan when he won his 16th Golden Shears open victory in 2009, signed by the Te Kuiti veteran who will head the list of 10 shearing superstars.
Even Ms Robinson’s ex-husband called from the UK to select the best bottle of Scotch she could find to go into the charity auction during the night, and he’d send her the money.
The shearers, also including new World champion Cam Ferguson and World speedshear and nine-hour lambshearing record holder Dion King, both of Hawke’s Bay, will be paying their own way to Reefton, all just for the cause.
Among the others will be New Zealand-based Scots shearers Tom Wilson (the 1984 World champion) and Grant Lundie, both keen to take part in tribute to fellow Scots Peter Rodger and Malcolm Campbell who were among the 29 men lost in the mine disaster on November 19.
Reefton shearing identity Sam Win said that even though the event seemed likely to raise over $10,000, there wouldn’t be any prizemoney, just a trophy.
Ms Robinson said she and her community were "blown away" by the shearers’ initiative.
"I think for the first two weeks or so after the disaster everyone here was just shell-shocked," she said. "Now the community is starting to learn how to deal with it, but to see this initiative coming from the shearers themselves, from outside the area, it’s just like…Whoa!"
Despite her own involvement in the sheep industry, there are still uncharted waters, and by the time the first shearer steps-up sometime after 7pm on Saturday, a hole will have been taken out of the low ceiling to make room for the taller competitors on the especially-built raised shearing board, and a screen will have been erected elsewhere around the small-town pub so that anyone can see.
"How many people will we get in the bar?" said Ms Robinson. "I don’t know, but I think we’re about to find out."
The milk lambs will be brought from a nearby farm, some likely to be shorn in under 20 seconds, Mr Win said
