There was anticipation in the air as a much talked-about ram went under the shears for the production class at the Sydney Royal Show this morning.
West Plains Zodiac, exhibited by West Plains stud, Delegate, was sashed the supreme Merino exhibit the day before.
Bare shorn, Zodiac weighed 124kg and scanned 47 square centimetres eye muscle area.
A ram exhibited by Thalabah stud, Laggan, required just as much effort to shear, weighing 127.5kg with an EMA of 46sq cm.
TAFE Dubbo's chief shearing instructor is Ian Elkin, a Boorowa-born-and-bred gent who took on the mammoth task of shearing Zodiac.
Zodiac's total fleece weight was 19 kilograms.
The fleece, which had been skirted to show-fleece criteria under the supervision of AWN's Tamworth wool and sheep specialist, John Croake, weighed 15.4kg, the skirtings 2.5kg, and the belly pieces 0.9kg.
Mr Elkin used a Sunbeam Nova, five millimetre short bevel comb, which Sunbeam manufactured when its factory was in the Sydney suburb of Kempsey.
His 25-year-old handpiece is also approaching the veteran age group. And it's the model that had a single screw to hold the comb in place.
"I used a short bevel comb as they're designed for crossbreds and very good combing Merinos," he said.
He explained the long bevel combs were used by shearers for tighter fleeces.
"I reckon I took about a minute per kilo to shear the big fella," he said.
However, Zodiac is not the heaviest fleece Mr Elkin, who is an Australian Hall Of Fame shearer, has peeled from a sheep.
On behalf of the RSPCA, he shore Chris, the wether from Mulligans Flat, who roamed unshorn for six years.
The Guinness Book of Records confirmed the record later that year; 41.1 kilograms of fleece had been shorn off Chris.
The production classes are still underway.
Simon Chamberlain
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
I have comprehensive experience in rural and regional journalism, as well as more than six years as a media officer for several politicians and worked in local government. I rejoined The Land in May 2022 and have loved being back in harness, reporting on a massive range of topics.
