This month’s Hawarden Ewe Fair will carry special significance.
The original Hawarden Saleyards Company was founded in 1898, with the saleyards built later in the year.
The first livestock sale, held in January 1899, was reported in the Christchurch Star.
The newspaper reported the sale was held in "excessively hot" weather, suggesting not much has changed in the last 125 years.
A strong contingent of auctioneers, dealers, butchers and farmers caught the morning train from Christchurch to Hawarden.
On sale were nearly 6000 sheep and 40 head of cattle.
Monthly stock sales were held at Hawarden for decades, with stock transported by train to Christchurch to be slaughtered.
The first ewe fair was held several years later, with the first reference on the PapersPast website being to a sale held on March 12, 1909.
A report in The Press recorded 14,300 ewes went under the hammer.
Two-tooth half-bred ewes sold for between 14 shillings and 21 shillings, five pence.
Today’s ewe fairs do not have the same fanfare of the early days, but attract farmers from far and wide, as there are few ewe fairs left in Canterbury.
PGG Wrightson regional livestock manager Grant Nordstrom is expecting another strong yarding.
"I would say our ewe numbers will be good. There has been a few farm sales, so there will be a few capital lines going under the hammer.
"We won’t know for another week whether it needs to be held over two days, but I can tell you it will be one full day."
Livestock sales leading up to Christmas have been steady, despite the price of mutton being down on previous seasons, Mr Nordstrom says.
"The mood is strong. The price of mutton is back and the export price is back, so it will have some effect on our prices.
"But there is a lot of feed in Canterbury at the moment, so we will have good competition for some good stock."
Last year’s Hawarden Ewe Fair was split over two successive Fridays, with more than 20,000 ewes going under the hammer.
The top price of $280 was achieved on both days — for a pen of two-tooth Corriedale ewes on day one, and Romney two-tooth ewes the following Friday.
Unlike last year’s ewe fair, there are no Covid-19 restrictions, so organisers will be hoping for a strong turnout to mark the Hawarden Saleyards’ 125th birthday.
- The annual Hawarden Ewe Fair is due to be held at the Hawarden Saleyards on Friday, January 27.
The ewes will be penned and available for inspection from 9am, with the sale getting under way at 11am.
Once again, the local Hawarden combined churches will cater the event, continuing a tradition dating back to 1930.
