Former world champion shearer Gavin Mutch is among the top class shearers who will be competing in this Saturday’s shearing competition at the Warrnambool Show.
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Mr Mutch, formerly of Scotland and who now lives and farms in New Zealand, will be part of the Te Kuiti team from NZ that competes each year against Australian shearers in the Warrnambool/Te Kuiti challenge.
Warrnambool shearing competition chief steward Roger Mifsud said the Warrnambool/Te Kuiti challenge was a Saturday night highlight of the show’s shearing events.
Last year’s challenge was enlivened by a haka performance by the NZ contenders and Mr Mifsud said he hoped the performance would be repeated again this year.
Mr Mifsud said the Australians had traditionally won the Warrnambool/Te Kuiti challenge that had been held for about 30 years.
Warrnambool will send a team of four shearers, two open, one senior and one intermediate, to NZ to compete in April against NZ shearers as part of the challenge.
Among the elite Australian shearers competing this year at Warrnambool this year are Glen Stephens and Lee Harris, both of Heywood.
Mr Stephens has represented Victoria and both he and Mr Harris have previously represented Warrnambool in the Te Kuiti challenge.
Mr Mifsud, a four times national Coopworth champion at Warrnambool, will also be competing on Saturday.
Up to about 60 shearers are expected to compete in a range of categories in the competition that starts at 9am.
Spectators this year will have access to a cattlemen’s bar that has been built at the rear of the shearing pavilion.
