IN MOTION: King Country’s Sonya Fagan throwing fleece in the Royal Highland ‘All Nations’ Novice grade and New Zealand Woolhandling world rep judge Janet Smith from Central Otago ready to score Sonya’s fleece throw. PHOTO'S SUPPLIED
A group of King Country shearers and woolhandlers showcased their abilities at the 2023 Golden Shears World Shearing and Woolhandling Championships at the Royal Highland Show in Scotland recently.
Sonya Fagan did exceedingly well, finishing second overall in the Royal Highland All Nations novice wool-
handling grade, defeating some outstanding competitors on her way to silver.
She was up against competitors from 24 countries with the finalists whittled down to three.
At just 19, Fagan would have been one of the youngest competitors competing in the championships.
She showed age is no barrier and adapted well to the UK style of woolhandling.
It was her first time competing in a big show and with dad Craig Fagan a well-known King Country shearer, woolhandling and shearing has always been in Sonya’s blood.
Following her success in the Scotland event, she’s now giving the Royal Welsh show a crack this weekend and recently shore her first 100 sheep.
Mum Sarah said the family were super proud of Sonya’s achievement’s considering she hadn’t done a great deal of competing previously.
Keryn Herbert was another to do well, finishing sixth overall in the World Individual Woolhandling Championships, representing the Cook Islands for the first time.
“It was incredibly hot over there which made it challenging. There was some good competition. I would have loved to finish higher, but I am pleased with how I went.”
The championships are held every four years but were pushed back from last year due to Covid restrictions.
The next world championship event will be held in Masterton, New Zealand, in 2026.
Herbert is a former New Zealand representative and has won a world title in the silver fern before, back in 2010, however, the opportunity to represent her grandmother’s home nation of the Cook Islands was too good to pass up.
“I wanted to do it for her. She was born in Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. That is what led me to representing the Cook Islands.
“Doing it for that side of my family and to honour my grandmother.”
Herbert helped the Cook Islands finish seventh overall in the team’s event, in which team members scored were added together across the two rounds. In the first round, they dealt with wool from Cheviots and in the second round, Scottish Blackie – both the main breeds in Scotland.
“It’s definitely a lot different,” Herbert said. “You have to roll the wool up over there. The blackie wool was thrown upside down or also known as the shorn side up then the fleece is rolled with the tip side outside of the fleece. This is a unique style well-known in Scotland.”
“Everywhere else in the world the wool is thrown tip side up with the fleece landing on the table with the shorn side underneath.”
Herbert headed to Scotland a few weeks prior in preparation for the championships.
Before the event, a forum was held by the World Shearing and Woolhandling Council and Herbert was selected as the Southern Hemisphere delegate for the council.
“It’s a real big honour to have been nominated for that by my fellow Southern Hemisphere countries;that they feel I would be the right person for the role. I am excited for it.”
Herbert has competed in the United Kingdom before so knew what she would be up against.
Digger Balme was in the open shearing of the Royal Highland All Nations grade and made the semifinals against world representatives.
“It’s been several years since Balme last competed in a UK show.
Balme, who is a well-known commentator at the New Zealand championships, was also called upon to do some commentating for the champs’ live feeds.
