IT seemed the classic hare and tortoise race to mark the return of competition shearing at the Perth Royal Show on Saturday.
With no show and no shearing competition last year, it was Collie gun shearer Callum O'Brien, who shears for Crackers Contracting, setting a rapid pace as the hare on stand four in the final of the open shearing category.
He finished his 10 sheep in 15 minutes 28 seconds, an incredible two minutes and 26 seconds ahead of the next fastest shearer.
On stand two was Tambellup shearing contractor Damien Boyle, winner of the Western Australian Competition Shearing Association (WACSA) Perth Royal Show open shearing competition 23 times before, taking it steady as a tortoise and making sure he got all the wool off each sheep cleanly.
He was second last shearer to finish in a time of 18 minutes 37 seconds, but had only clocked up seven penalty points from judges on the board, compared to 34 penalty points accrued by Mr O'Brien.
The final result rested with WACSA immediate past president Kevin Lawrence out the back, scoring each pen of sheep on the quality of the shearing after they had came down the chute.
But in the end, the tortoise and hare had to settle for second and third places respectively, with consistency and a successful compromise between speed and quality winning for Boyup Brook shearer and farmer Luke Harding on stand one.
With a time of 18 minutes 13 seconds, he was fourth quickest, but won on the quality of his shearing, accruing 18 penalty points on the board - second to Boyle - then beating him with a pen score of 95 compared to 101, while O'Brien's pen score was 173.
Royal Agricultural Society of WA councillor in charge of the shearing and woolhandling competition, Ken Walker, in announcing the results said the points were the closest he could remember - with only 1.15 points between third and first place.
While Mr Harding has won the senior shearing category at Perth Royal Show before, represented Australia twice with Mr Boyle as part of the national team competing in New Zealand and won the Wagin Woolorama Clean Shears open final this year for the third year in a row, Saturday's win was his first at the Perth Royal Show's open competition.
Earlier this month he won the Koorda Shears open competition and placed third behind Mr Boyle and Mr O'Brien in the Dyson Jones Corrigin Shears.
"The reason I do this (shear in competitions) is because of the lads up here with me," Mr Harding at the presentation.
"We only catch up a few times a year (at competitions).
"I'm over the moon."
Mr Harding paid tribute to his wife Jess - they have three children aged under five years - who was runner up to champion York woolhandler Aroha Garvin in the open event.
Mr Harding also thanked event sponsors and Dowerin farmer Lindsay Hagboom, who provided 400 large Merino ewes for the competition and for shearing demonstrations during the show.
Mr Boyle was awarded best quality fleece in the open final.
In other levels of the competition five of the six finalists in the novice shearing section were year 12 students from the WA College of Agriculture, Cunderdin.
In a first for the shearing competition at the Royal Show this year, the name of the winner of the novice shearing final, Jack Waters, will be the first engraved on a perpetual shield sponsored by the family of shearing contractor and former champion shearer Brian 'Bero' Beresford who died last year aged 78.
Mr Beresford's children Nathan, Joel and Katrina presented the shield on Saturday.
Shearing competition commentator, friend and shearer with Mr Beresford, Kevin Gellatly said Mr Beresford had given many shearers their start with a learner's stand so it was appropriate his family provided encouragement for young shearers in the novice section.
In the intermediate shearing final two young women shearers in Danielle Mauger and Holly Kingi-Carrington gave the men a run for their money, finishing second and fourth respectively.
Overall, the shearing and wool handling competitions attracted more than 50 entries.
"I'm extremely happy with the shearers, extremely happy with the quality of shearing and the attitude which is second to none - especially in the younger divisions," said WACSA president Greg Drew.
"The open was one of the best finals I have seen in a lot of competitions that have been held here.
"If you have good shearers you'll get good woolhandlers and that's the idea of the competition, to get the quality flowing through into the sheds so the growers are getting the most for their wool."
p As previously reported in Farm Weekly, Perth Royal Show open shearing first and second placegetters, Luke Harding and Damien Boyle, will help teach novice and learner shearers later this year at a series of Australian Wool Innovation-funded shearing schools at Rylington Park, Mayanup.
