The Shear4Blair shearathon last weekend raised over $130,000 for the Southland Charity Hospital.  

The shearathon was held from 6am on Sunday through to 2pm on Monday at Wohelo Station woolshed in Moa Flat, West Otago.  

Event organiser Jared Manihera says the event went better than anticipated, despite having to be postponed a day due to the weather.

“It really blew us away with the level of support we received. It’s hard to believe how many people volunteered their time and supported the event with donations, sponsorships, and products to be auctioned.”

Four shearers completed the full 24 hours, broken into 12 hour runs, with several supporting shearers rotated throughout the event.  

Southland Charity Hospital board member Melissa Vining said there are no words to describe what was achieved. 

A Shear4Blair shearathon shore 10,084 lambs and raised over $130,000 for the Southland Charity Hospital. Credit: Findlater Photography

“It was an awesome event. It was emotional to watch the shearers and their support crew working, especially as they closed in on, and surpassed, their 10,000th lamb.” 

Manihera says he is proud of all those involved in the weekend and how hard they worked, particularly for the four 24-hour shearers.  

“Now that it’s over everyone’s reflecting on the weekend and realising what we achieved.”

“I’ve talked to [the 24-hour shearers] Brayden, Cole, Eru, and David and they all say they’re a bit sore, still a bit tired, but mostly just over the moon about what they’ve done. For them, it was all about the cause. They worked so hard and pushed their way through to the end.”

“Everyone had their own reasons for being involved. Many of us have been touched by cancer in some way and this was a way of fighting back against that.”

The total amount raised from the Shear4Blair will be confirmed in the coming weeks as sponsorships and auction sales are finalised.

The money raised from this event will be used to purchase medical equipment for the hospital, which is expected to open later this year.