March 5, 2026 • 5 mins
A shearing legend with his picks for this weekend. No one will ever beat his 16 open titles, but can Rowland Smith add to his eight?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So, David Fagan, thank you much for thank you very
very much for coming in. You wandered in here and
I know you're a legend. No one will ever beat
your sixteen Open titles here. Do you think Roland Smith
could get a ninth though?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Of course he's got to be in the running, but
you know it'll be a tough ask. We've got some
pretty good guys there amongst it with him, with Tory Henderson,
Gavin Much etc. And quite a few others too. But
you know he's got a chance for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You said to me this morning that Gavin Much is
sharing really well. Of course for the worlds, he's sharing
for Scotland, but he's a key we at heart these days, Ollie.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
He's won this year before in the Open and the
big you know, the world event Saturday night's going to
be incredible. But the last event of Golden Shares Saturday
night is the Open final, so I think they've got
that right putting that last. It's the main event. As such,
you won sixteen of them.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
What's the atmosphere like when you're sharing in front of
I mean, you can't buy a ticket for Tomorrow night here,
but literally the roof lifts in this building.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Yeah, it does something about this place. And I mean
they've often talked about renovating it or shifting it to
a bigger venue in that and I hope they don't
because the history's here, the man is here, and there's
nothing like walking on the stage and competing and the
Saturday night finals, whether it's the World Finals or the
Open Final, the shares walk up there and they just
(01:19):
grow legs and it's going to be amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Great to see your older brother John, who's a legend,
the only bloke that I know. In fact, he's the
only one who's won the Golden Shares and the Golden Pliers,
so that's the fencing and Sharing championships. He's had his
health issues, but he's back the Share. And when you
arrived as a young sharer because you found success relatively
really early in your career, but you were following in
(01:42):
the steps of your older brother, did that make it easier?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah, of course it did. It made it fun because
you know, even I can remember being at school following
him around to the field days, to the fencing competitions.
When he won the Golden Pliers I think three or
five times or whatever. It was and wagging school to
go up there, and then laterally latterly when I started sharing.
He was probably one of the best in New Zealand
at the time and I was just starting out. And
(02:07):
I think one of the most special times here was
in nineteen eighty four I was a young feller. He
won the Open for the first time and I was
second to John in the open here in nine and
eighty four. Would have been wrong to be any other
way around. It was so good to see him win
that then. So he's back this year. He's meeting a
lot of people and as he will say, he wakes
up each day at the moment. That's a bonus. Well.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I always remember in nineteen ninety two at alan Shall
It's wall shehed on Riversdale. You set the world lamb
sharing record for nine hours and I remember the strum up.
It was a bit of a strum up at halftime
from your older brother John because the conditions weren't favoring you,
and he used some choice language. We could all hear it, David,
and then you came out after lunch, the sun came
(02:49):
out and bang.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
It's funny because that choice language. I can remember that
it was a frustrating day. It never quite went our way,
but we got the record by one or two sheep
or five sheep or so. But it's funny we used
that against him many years later, about five years ago,
when John was in Mike at a hospital in a
coma for thirty one days and everyone was talking to
him hoping he was listening. I gave him his pedigree
(03:11):
of what he told me in that record day about
coming through it and waking up. So hopefully it worked. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I won't repeat what I heard him say, but it
certainly got you going anyhow. And of course there's another Fagan. Well,
there's lots of Fagans who have been successful and sharing
over the years. But your son Jack, who's a speed
share expert, won the speed share again here last night.
But he's in the Open and I know he would
love to make an Open final, and who knows from
there once you're on the final six.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah, look his stars rising. I guess you might say
it's rising slowly. He's done exceptionally well. Really, I think
he's had about thirty Open wins worldwide in the sharing.
Last night in the spech here was number ninety one
in the speech here is worldwide, so he's doing well.
He's got everything in front of him and you'll some
(04:00):
success from him in the future.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I'm sure, being the son of Oh for sure.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
But he's made his own way now, he's his own man.
And when we go around at these events now everyone
wants to talk to him, and it's quite neat because
well he's down the track now.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Yeah, okay, so yeah your Jack Vegan's father the other
way around. Yeah. But anyhow, he's very eloquent young man
and when he finishes the sharing, he's going to be
on the end of a mic, isn't he. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Well, he's commentated at Invercargoll at ilt Stadium, Southland, at
the World Championships. He's commentated in France and Scotland. He's
commentating here last year. And he's very good on the mic,
very good with the today pronunciation almost any language, fluent
in French. So he's got a lot of skills and
he can share a few sheep as well.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
And I reckon one last comment. I don't know where
Rachel Share has gone from PGG rights And well, Rachel,
if you're listening, we're going to come and have a
yarn to us. But anyhow, I think you're almost more
excited by the dairy price than you are by the
sharing here at the Golden Shares, because you're at kal
Kocky these days.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Isn't it amazing? I think we all went through eight
or nine drops through last year and we've seen what
three four not just rises but substantial rises recently, And yeah,
I'm really excited to say it's brilliant. And isn't it
good to have lamb beef dairy wool has doubled and
wh're not celebrated. Get away from the Kiwi tool property,
(05:27):
celebrate success. Good on farming is in a good place.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Thank you, Sir David Fagan,
So, David Fagan, thank you much for thank you very
very much for coming in. You wandered in here and
I know you're a legend. No one will ever beat
your sixteen Open titles here. Do you think Roland Smith
could get a ninth though?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Of course he's got to be in the running, but
you know it'll be a tough ask. We've got some
pretty good guys there amongst it with him, with Tory Henderson,
Gavin Much etc. And quite a few others too. But
you know he's got a chance for sure.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You said to me this morning that Gavin Much is
sharing really well. Of course for the worlds, he's sharing
for Scotland, but he's a key we at heart these days, Ollie.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
He's won this year before in the Open and the
big you know, the world event Saturday night's going to
be incredible. But the last event of Golden Shares Saturday
night is the Open final, so I think they've got
that right putting that last. It's the main event. As such,
you won sixteen of them.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
What's the atmosphere like when you're sharing in front of
I mean, you can't buy a ticket for Tomorrow night here,
but literally the roof lifts in this building.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Yeah, it does something about this place. And I mean
they've often talked about renovating it or shifting it to
a bigger venue in that and I hope they don't
because the history's here, the man is here, and there's
nothing like walking on the stage and competing and the
Saturday night finals, whether it's the World Finals or the
Open Final, the shares walk up there and they just
(01:19):
grow legs and it's going to be amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:21):
Great to see your older brother John, who's a legend,
the only bloke that I know. In fact, he's the
only one who's won the Golden Shares and the Golden Pliers,
so that's the fencing and Sharing championships. He's had his
health issues, but he's back the Share. And when you
arrived as a young sharer because you found success relatively
really early in your career, but you were following in
(01:42):
the steps of your older brother, did that make it easier?
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeah, of course it did. It made it fun because
you know, even I can remember being at school following
him around to the field days, to the fencing competitions.
When he won the Golden Pliers I think three or
five times or whatever. It was and wagging school to
go up there, and then laterally latterly when I started sharing.
He was probably one of the best in New Zealand
at the time and I was just starting out. And
(02:07):
I think one of the most special times here was
in nineteen eighty four I was a young feller. He
won the Open for the first time and I was
second to John in the open here in nine and
eighty four. Would have been wrong to be any other
way around. It was so good to see him win
that then. So he's back this year. He's meeting a
lot of people and as he will say, he wakes
up each day at the moment. That's a bonus. Well.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
I always remember in nineteen ninety two at alan Shall
It's wall shehed on Riversdale. You set the world lamb
sharing record for nine hours and I remember the strum up.
It was a bit of a strum up at halftime
from your older brother John because the conditions weren't favoring you,
and he used some choice language. We could all hear it, David,
and then you came out after lunch, the sun came
(02:49):
out and bang.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
It's funny because that choice language. I can remember that
it was a frustrating day. It never quite went our way,
but we got the record by one or two sheep
or five sheep or so. But it's funny we used
that against him many years later, about five years ago,
when John was in Mike at a hospital in a
coma for thirty one days and everyone was talking to
him hoping he was listening. I gave him his pedigree
(03:11):
of what he told me in that record day about
coming through it and waking up. So hopefully it worked. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
I won't repeat what I heard him say, but it
certainly got you going anyhow. And of course there's another Fagan. Well,
there's lots of Fagans who have been successful and sharing
over the years. But your son Jack, who's a speed
share expert, won the speed share again here last night.
But he's in the Open and I know he would
love to make an Open final, and who knows from
there once you're on the final six.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah, look his stars rising. I guess you might say
it's rising slowly. He's done exceptionally well. Really, I think
he's had about thirty Open wins worldwide in the sharing.
Last night in the spech here was number ninety one
in the speech here is worldwide, so he's doing well.
He's got everything in front of him and you'll some
(04:00):
success from him in the future.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I'm sure, being the son of Oh for sure.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
But he's made his own way now, he's his own man.
And when we go around at these events now everyone
wants to talk to him, and it's quite neat because
well he's down the track now.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Yeah, okay, so yeah your Jack Vegan's father the other
way around. Yeah. But anyhow, he's very eloquent young man
and when he finishes the sharing, he's going to be
on the end of a mic, isn't he. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Well, he's commentated at Invercargoll at ilt Stadium, Southland, at
the World Championships. He's commentated in France and Scotland. He's
commentating here last year. And he's very good on the mic,
very good with the today pronunciation almost any language, fluent
in French. So he's got a lot of skills and
he can share a few sheep as well.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
And I reckon one last comment. I don't know where
Rachel Share has gone from PGG rights And well, Rachel,
if you're listening, we're going to come and have a
yarn to us. But anyhow, I think you're almost more
excited by the dairy price than you are by the
sharing here at the Golden Shares, because you're at kal
Kocky these days.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
Isn't it amazing? I think we all went through eight
or nine drops through last year and we've seen what
three four not just rises but substantial rises recently, And yeah,
I'm really excited to say it's brilliant. And isn't it
good to have lamb beef dairy wool has doubled and
wh're not celebrated. Get away from the Kiwi tool property,
(05:27):
celebrate success. Good on farming is in a good place.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
Thank you, Sir David Fagan,
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