Mr Sinclair (23) won the intermediate final at the Golden Shears in Masterton; the second fastest to shear the eight sheep but recording the highest points for quality.
He described it as a privilege to compete at the event, and said he was "pretty excited" to be in front of such a large crowd at the "pinnacle of shearing competitions in New Zealand".
From a farming background in Balclutha, and now working for Oamaru-based Phil Cleland Shearing, Mr Sinclair attended school in Dunedin and then completed a diploma in agriculture at Lincoln University.
From there, he worked as a shepherd for the Sim family at Mt Dasher Station, inland from Oamaru, before joining Mr Cleland’s team.
He initially worked as a presser for the pre-lamb shear and then picked up a hand-piece in December 2021.
The desire to get into the industry came through his friends from Balclutha who were shearing — "and the money’s pretty good". He liked the physical nature of the work and the shearing shed environment.
He admitted it took "a bit of a toll" on his body as he got up to speed but he had no regrets about becoming a shearer.
His first competition was Waimate Shears when he was still pressing. He had a crack in the novice section and was the top qualifier in the heats, but missed the final as he was attending his mother’s birthday dinner.
At the Golden Shears, it was definitely nerve-racking — "especially with the top guys watching you".
"I was a wee bit star-struck, [winner] Rowland Smith, he’s just the man."
North Otago local Barry Taylor was another role model.
Despite the nerves, he concentrated on breathing.
North Island sheep were also quite different from those in the south.
It was particularly special as one of his Balclutha friends, Jack Pringle, was also competing in the final. It was probably Mr Pringle that got him into it as he was enjoying it so much.
Away from competitions, Mr Sinclair said he endeavoured to do the best job possible — and keep farmers happy as well.
Eventually, he was keen to get into fencing, as he liked the idea of being outside and "walking up and down hills".
He was grateful for the support and encouragement from Mr Cleland.
He thought a willingness to learn was also important.
Next year, he was hoping to travel to Scotland and do some shearing over there.
