Organisers are thrilled with the support they received during a shearathon that has raised money for the Southland Charity Hospital.

The hospital is the brainchild of the late cancer care advocate Blair Vining and his wife, Melissa, who wanted better cancer care for all New Zealanders.

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Last weekend, a group of shearers, wool handlers, and support crew raised more than $130,000 during the Shear4Blair Shearathon.

Shearers put their bodies on the line as they completed 24 hours of shearing time, broken into 12 two-hour runs.

Four key shearers completed the full 24 hours – Brayden Clifford, Cole Wells, Eru Weeds and David Gower.

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Brayden Clifford completed 24 hours of shearing with a tally of 1543 lambs during the Shear4Blair Shearathon. Photo: Findlater Photography

The money raised will go towards buying medical equipment for the hospital, which is expected to open later this year.

Hospital board member Melissa Vining said there were no words to describe what had been achieved.

“It was an awesome event. It was emotional to watch the shearers and their support crew working, especially as they closed in on, and surpassed, their 10,000th lamb,” she said.

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Shear4Blair was held from 6am on Sunday until 2pm on Monday at Wohelo Station woolshed in Moa Flat, West Otago.

Event organiser Jared Manihera said the event went better than anticipated, despite being postponed a day due to the weather.

“It really blew us away with the level of support we received,” he said.

“It’s hard to believe how many people volunteered their time and supported the event with donations, sponsorships, and products to be auctioned.”

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Matt Chisholm interviews event organiser Jared Manihera for the livestream of the event. Photo: Findlater Photography

He was proud of all those involved in the weekend and how hard they worked, particularly those who worked around the clock.

“I’ve talked to Brayden, Cole, Eru, and David and they all say they’re a bit sore, still a bit tired, but mostly just over the Moon about what they’ve done,” Manihera said.

“For them, it was all about the cause. They worked so hard and pushed their way through to the end.

“Everyone had their own reasons for being involved. Many of us have been touched by cancer in some way and this was a way of fighting back against that.”

Among those supporters was shearing legend, 81-year-old Snow Quinn.

He brought out his gear that hasn’t been used since 1978.

In 2020, the first shearathon was held to raise funds for the cancer treatment of West Otago farm manager and cancer survivor Shaun Bradley.

He jumped onboard Shear4Blair, picking up the combs in the final two-hour run and finishing with a tally of 50 lambs.

The total amount raised from the Shear4Blair will be confirmed in the coming weeks as sponsorships and auction sales are finalised.

The Shear4Blair team put in a mammoth effort over Waitangi weekend, shearing over 10,000 lambs. Photo: Findlater Photography

Source: rnz.co.nz, Republished by arrangement.

Marathon Shearing Effort Nets $130,000 for Charity Hospital

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