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You can't really talk about New Zealand without mentioning
sheep, and this festival is where all the sheep, and
all those whose lives revolve around them, get together for
a competition and a bit of a knees-up. For the rest of us,
who may have less affection for these fluffy creatures, you
can still enjoy this opportunity to join in a celebration
of all things woolly, and watch the sheep get naked! In all
seriousness, the New Zealanders take great pride in the traditions
of sheep shearing and wool handling, and this festival reveres
all those who dedicate their lives to these noble professions.
In this competition speed and efficiency are of utmost importance
- things can get quite heated, and winning is a real honour.
The festival is held in March every year, in Masterton,
on the North Island. The tradition of the competition
officially started in 1961, where the crowds were so large,
that the local army were called in to help control them. Now
the festival is a little more calm, and is regularly a four
day competition, with entrants competing at a variety of levels
of expertise in different events including: novice, junior,
intermediate, senior and open shearing along with junior,
senior and open wool handling events, and the pairs and singles
wool pressing competitions. Up to one hundred and twenty competitors
can be involved in one section of an event alone, needing
up to 750 near identical sheep - the logistics of finding,
moving around and housing this enormous number of animals
can be surprisingly difficult, and can cause quite a headache
for the organisers!
The winners of these annual competitions become popular heroes,
and with the glory of winning come the dubious privileges
of appearances on the news and in television commercials.
Over the years prize money has increased as the festival has
become more popular, and as a result, many competitors have
taken up more professional attitudes, including rigorous training
and fitness regimes, and making these events the focus of
their year.
In addition to the sporting events, the festival also includes
a rather more sedate Wearable Wool Arts Competition,
where all creations are modelled. This section is a celebration
of the wonderful variety of products that can be made from
the vast quantities of fleece generated by the festival. |
