October 21, 2024 • 6 mins
We chat with New Zealand's greatest shearer about all things wool.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Wall week with FMG on Gold Sport, because where there's
a wool, there's a way.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
On the Country Sport Breakfast along with the team from
the Country this week we are celebrating a wonderful product
called wool and we're bringing you Woolwick thanks to FMG
and a man who knows a thing or two about
Wooly's sean. I don't know how many million sheep probably
in his life, is Sir David Fagan at Atika when
he joins us on the show this morning, David, good.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Morning, Good morning, Brint.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Quite a record for you. I mean something like sixteen
golden shears and so many world records as well. You're
probably sick of the side of sheep, are you.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Ah? Yeah, But at the end of the day, cheap
and the wool industry have been really good to me obviously,
and it's got me where I am. And you know,
I had thirty forty years of really enjoying traveling the world,
cheering sheep and representing your country you name it at
the highest level. So even though you might get sick
(00:59):
of them, it's like everyone says when they when they
share a few sheep or they walk in a sharing
shed and it does smell a bit with the lannel
and the smell of the wall, but you know, it's
a smell of money, or it used to be.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
But yeah, well it's just going to say back in
your day when you started, I mean, wool would have
been like gold, wouldn't it.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, it's always been pretty good through the you know,
I started through the eighties and nineties and it was
pretty strong. But if you go back further, I can
remember growing up on the farm west of TAKAWEEDI here
on a family farm, and wool was gold then and
it was incredible, really, And yeah, I think we'll get
back there again. It's just we're going through a funny,
(01:38):
funny phase at the moment where people have got the
synthetics or oil based stuff and they go on about
the green faction around, but they don't mind walking on
their oil based carpets, these people. So the sooner we
get people putting wool into everything, the better.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Does it concern you the state of the wool industry at.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
The moment, Yeah, it is a concern, of course it is.
And it's all about returns for the farmer. Yeah, And
you know, by the time they take out the price
of sharing. They're probably getting a bill now to share
their sheep, which is it's horrifying really, but you know,
we've got to get it, get it turned around, and
I think it will once people wake up and realize
what a renewable resource we've got with wool and you
(02:23):
know it's a natural fiber and yeah, it's it's simply
simply best. If you're a real greenie like these bunny
hugging greenies that are about going on about things, let's
find out for them if they're walking on walk carpet
in their houses before they make too.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Much noise and ask them whether the cardigans they're wearing
are made of wool or nylon. Talking about sharing, as
you said, you've been involved with the industry for a
long time and I believe this week's an ideal week.
The New Zealand team are in Western Australia. What are
they doing there?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, there's some some of the team went last week.
We've got a manager, Russell Knight. He's the manager of
the team and we've got three shares in the team
and the machine sharing team two will handlers and two
blade shears, so they all go head to head against
the Australian counterparts on Saturday in their own disciplines and
(03:17):
it's the first of the series of the trans Tasmin
series as it's called, and then a return leg at
Golden Shears and Masted in the March where that's the
Aussies come over there. So yeah, I was a part
of it for many years and there's nothing quite like
it being in Australia and love it or hate it.
Great competitors and there's nothing sweeter than getting a win
(03:38):
in Australia against Australia. So good luck to them, aren't
they do well?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Is the wool industry in Australia and the doldrooms like
it is.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Here, Probably not so much because it's predominantly all it's
changing a bit. It's predominantly fine more marino woolf But
having said that, there's a lot more cross breads over
there now with the fat land market, and yeah that
I think the general sheep industry with the price of
lamb in Australia and here has been really tough. So
(04:06):
it's it's great for our shearers to be able to
make those teams. And we've got wolves in New Zealand
that for many years have been supporting sharing sports in
New Zealand and these teams that travel away, so you
know they're doing a lot behind the scenes to promote
Wall as well.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
David, how old were you when you actually picked up
the shears for the very first time and thought, hey,
this isn't a bad life.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Well, it's it's interesting you don't you don't pick them
up and thinking you want to make teams or do
records or win competitions. You pick it up and it's
really simple reason, you want to make some money. And yeah,
it's amazing really that you once you once you start,
it gets in your blood and yeah, it's all about
making money really for a start at least, and then
(04:50):
the centers for myself and many shares they go in
sharing competitions and it really really gets addictive. And when
you can represent your country, travel the world and and
make a bit of a living at it as well,
and as long as you're careful or not so much careful,
but do something with your money so that it gets
something going for you, whether it be in to housing
(05:10):
or into farming or something. Because there's no doubt about it,
it's an incredibly physical, demanding job and to be at
the end of it and have something is really satisfying.
But you to be at the end of it and
have nothing would be would be terrible too. So yeah,
i'd recommend all the shares that are making big money
do something with it.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Definitely very smart words. And you're still on the farm
and tike a witty yep.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, we're actually enjoying really nice weather here at the moment.
It's incredibly cold sprung the last couple of months, but
we've just got some really nice days now, so looking
forward to getting out and getting a few things done
and getting a bit more grass growing really in the
heat of the sunshine.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Fantastic. Well, let's make will while the sunshines as well.
So David, thank you for joining us as part of
Wallweek on the show.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
No Problem Jeers.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Week with FMG here for the good of the country
on gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
An absolute legend, Sir David Fagan, And as we said
each and every day this week, as part of the
Woolwek celebrations, we have a feature dedicated to focusing on
our farming communities and the world class wool products that
they make. More on that tomorrow here on gold Sport
in the country, sport break
Wall week with FMG on Gold Sport, because where there's
a wool, there's a way.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
On the Country Sport Breakfast along with the team from
the Country this week we are celebrating a wonderful product
called wool and we're bringing you Woolwick thanks to FMG
and a man who knows a thing or two about
Wooly's sean. I don't know how many million sheep probably
in his life, is Sir David Fagan at Atika when
he joins us on the show this morning, David, good.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
Morning, Good morning, Brint.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Quite a record for you. I mean something like sixteen
golden shears and so many world records as well. You're
probably sick of the side of sheep, are you.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Ah? Yeah, But at the end of the day, cheap
and the wool industry have been really good to me obviously,
and it's got me where I am. And you know,
I had thirty forty years of really enjoying traveling the world,
cheering sheep and representing your country you name it at
the highest level. So even though you might get sick
(00:59):
of them, it's like everyone says when they when they
share a few sheep or they walk in a sharing
shed and it does smell a bit with the lannel
and the smell of the wall, but you know, it's
a smell of money, or it used to be.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
But yeah, well it's just going to say back in
your day when you started, I mean, wool would have
been like gold, wouldn't it.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yeah, it's always been pretty good through the you know,
I started through the eighties and nineties and it was
pretty strong. But if you go back further, I can
remember growing up on the farm west of TAKAWEEDI here
on a family farm, and wool was gold then and
it was incredible, really, And yeah, I think we'll get
back there again. It's just we're going through a funny,
(01:38):
funny phase at the moment where people have got the
synthetics or oil based stuff and they go on about
the green faction around, but they don't mind walking on
their oil based carpets, these people. So the sooner we
get people putting wool into everything, the better.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
Does it concern you the state of the wool industry at.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
The moment, Yeah, it is a concern, of course it is.
And it's all about returns for the farmer. Yeah, And
you know, by the time they take out the price
of sharing. They're probably getting a bill now to share
their sheep, which is it's horrifying really, but you know,
we've got to get it, get it turned around, and
I think it will once people wake up and realize
what a renewable resource we've got with wool and you
(02:23):
know it's a natural fiber and yeah, it's it's simply
simply best. If you're a real greenie like these bunny
hugging greenies that are about going on about things, let's
find out for them if they're walking on walk carpet
in their houses before they make too.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Much noise and ask them whether the cardigans they're wearing
are made of wool or nylon. Talking about sharing, as
you said, you've been involved with the industry for a
long time and I believe this week's an ideal week.
The New Zealand team are in Western Australia. What are
they doing there?
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Yeah, there's some some of the team went last week.
We've got a manager, Russell Knight. He's the manager of
the team and we've got three shares in the team
and the machine sharing team two will handlers and two
blade shears, so they all go head to head against
the Australian counterparts on Saturday in their own disciplines and
(03:17):
it's the first of the series of the trans Tasmin
series as it's called, and then a return leg at
Golden Shears and Masted in the March where that's the
Aussies come over there. So yeah, I was a part
of it for many years and there's nothing quite like
it being in Australia and love it or hate it.
Great competitors and there's nothing sweeter than getting a win
(03:38):
in Australia against Australia. So good luck to them, aren't
they do well?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Is the wool industry in Australia and the doldrooms like
it is.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Here, Probably not so much because it's predominantly all it's
changing a bit. It's predominantly fine more marino woolf But
having said that, there's a lot more cross breads over
there now with the fat land market, and yeah that
I think the general sheep industry with the price of
lamb in Australia and here has been really tough. So
(04:06):
it's it's great for our shearers to be able to
make those teams. And we've got wolves in New Zealand
that for many years have been supporting sharing sports in
New Zealand and these teams that travel away, so you
know they're doing a lot behind the scenes to promote
Wall as well.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
David, how old were you when you actually picked up
the shears for the very first time and thought, hey,
this isn't a bad life.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Well, it's it's interesting you don't you don't pick them
up and thinking you want to make teams or do
records or win competitions. You pick it up and it's
really simple reason, you want to make some money. And yeah,
it's amazing really that you once you once you start,
it gets in your blood and yeah, it's all about
making money really for a start at least, and then
(04:50):
the centers for myself and many shares they go in
sharing competitions and it really really gets addictive. And when
you can represent your country, travel the world and and
make a bit of a living at it as well,
and as long as you're careful or not so much careful,
but do something with your money so that it gets
something going for you, whether it be in to housing
(05:10):
or into farming or something. Because there's no doubt about it,
it's an incredibly physical, demanding job and to be at
the end of it and have something is really satisfying.
But you to be at the end of it and
have nothing would be would be terrible too. So yeah,
i'd recommend all the shares that are making big money
do something with it.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Definitely very smart words. And you're still on the farm
and tike a witty yep.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Yeah, we're actually enjoying really nice weather here at the moment.
It's incredibly cold sprung the last couple of months, but
we've just got some really nice days now, so looking
forward to getting out and getting a few things done
and getting a bit more grass growing really in the
heat of the sunshine.
Speaker 2 (05:50):
Fantastic. Well, let's make will while the sunshines as well.
So David, thank you for joining us as part of
Wallweek on the show.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
No Problem Jeers.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Week with FMG here for the good of the country
on gold Sport.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
An absolute legend, Sir David Fagan, And as we said
each and every day this week, as part of the
Woolwek celebrations, we have a feature dedicated to focusing on
our farming communities and the world class wool products that
they make. More on that tomorrow here on gold Sport
in the country, sport break
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