I had a shower and a cold bottle of DB.
Q. The respective combined tallies for the shearers across the four two-hour runs were 516, 520, 517 and 520. Your final run was your best for the day with 181 lambs. You finished strong?
Yeah, very.
Q. Which run was the toughest?
The third run after lunch for a mixture of reasons including the sheep being a bit hot and they don’t comb that well.
Q. Why were the sheep hotter for the third run?
The boys at the back [of the woolshed] were doing a good job [making sure there were plenty of lambs available for shearing].
Q. Were the sheep in good nick for shearing?
Yeah, very good nick. They were nice-sized lambs for this time of the year, they’re usually not that big.
Q. How many world records have you broken before?
We [Samuels, John Kirkpatrick, James Mack and Eru Weeds] set a four-stand record by shearing 2556 strong wool lambs in eight hours in 2013, a record which still stands. I set a solo eight-hour strongwool ewe record in the winter of 2017 and then a bloke named Rowland Smith broke it and then I attempted it again in 2018 and came up short.
Q. Why do you attempt world records?
It is a lot fun, mate. It’s a lot of fun.
Q. What is the appeal of being part of a team attempting a record?
You’ve got friends and you’re not in a dark place by yourself.
Q. Was there much of a crowd at the record attempt?
When I stood up, there was people everywhere, there would have been 100 people in the woolshed and still more outside.
Q. Why did you choose to attempt the record in Moa Flat?
Shane [Ratima] approached me about it in March last year and I said "give me a week" and then I rang back about two hours later and said "yeah, nah, I’m keen" and then we were mucking around trying to find sheep and I said ‘I know of some sheep’ and he said "oh well, let’s go".
Q. What is your enduring memory of the record attempt?
The whole day, it was very memorable. A highlight was watching Pae and Shane achieve their goal.
Q. Had either of them set a world record before?
No, it was their first.
Q. The record attempt was on a Saturday. Did you return to work shearing on Monday?
No, I went back to work on Tuesday. I tried to go to work on Monday but my wife said no.
Q. How has your recovery been?
Pretty good. I was pretty stiff when I was in bed on Sunday, but once I was up and mobile, everything sort of loosened up and I was able to move a wee bit freer.
Q. How did the rain leading up to the record attempt impact your preparations?
It was five days of rest we needed. Even though we wanted to work up to two days out from it, we had five days off and it was a blessing in disguise.
Q. What’s next?
I’m not to sure what I’m up to. I have a few competitions coming up shortly and it is an honour to be on those.
Q. Will you be at Otago Shears near Balclutha this weekend?
Yup.
Q. And then Golden Shears in Masterton?
Yup, it’s two weeks after Otago Shears.
Q. How are you feeling in the leadup to Golden Shears?
Pretty good. I’ve been focused on the record for the past couple of months and now it is competition time.
Q. Does a record attempt help or hinder your preparations for shearing competitions?
It helps with the fitness side of things, but it hinders the quality.
Q. What number Golden Shears will it be for you?
Number five.
Q. You won the Golden Shears open title in 2024. How do you like your chance of winning again this year?
Everyone has a chance mate. You’ve just got to make sure you show up on the day.
Q. Do you have any advice for any attempting a shearing record?
My advice is it is going to hurt, so make it worthwhile.
