Luke Vernon on the shearing stand with mentor MJ Terry, left, became the first person to shear 500 merino ewes in an eight-hour solo record attempt. Photo: Supplied / Rocky Wegne
An Australia-based shearer from small Central Otago horticultural township Ettrick has become the first person to shear 500 merino ewes in an eight-hour solo record attempt.
Luke Vernon, 28, has surpassed the previous record by just three ewes, bearing out Hawke's Bay shearer Lou Brown's record of 497 ewes over the 480 minutes, in 2019.
From the ringing of the bell at 7am on Friday at Thornton Park in Wandering in Western Australia, Luke Vernon had successive runs of 120, 125 and 125, entering the last two hours two-down.
But a dramatic final run with the biggest-ever two-hour run in merino ewes records history needed to get him over the line, was successful.
The team was made up with mentor Michael-James "MJ" Terry at his side, the current two-stand record holder, set in 2003 with brother Cartwright, and woolhandlers Maria Ormsby, originally from Rotorua, and Raven Waitere, Cyaniquah Rangawhenua and Santi Hemopo, and Pope Hick.
"A week off, back into the gym, and keep myself ready," said Vernon.
The former boarder at Dunstan High School in Alexandra turned shepherd at Miller's Flats in Central Otago, made the move to Australia looking for farm work.
There, he has worked at planting trees, wool pressing and other gigs before studying at shearing school and getting on the stand.
"There's always an opportunity around the corner. Honestly, I can't rule anything out," Vernon said.
Vernon said he was planning to head back to New Zealand for pre-lamb shearing in Central Otago.
The nine-hour record of 540, shorn by fellow New Zealander Floyd Neil in West Australia a year ago, dangles tantalisingly within reach based on Friday's hourly rate of 62.5 an hour or one ewe every 57.6 seconds.
His latest record, better than any tally achieved in the woolshed, was the latest in a series of nine successful solo shearing record attempts in Australia and New Zealand over the last 16 months, dating back to breaking of the men's solo eight-hours strongwool lambs record twice in two days in New Zealand just before Christmas 2022.
The World Sheep Shearing Records Society has two more solo strongwool record attempts booked for August in England, with English shearer Nick Greaves targeting New Zealand shearer Jack Fagan's eight hours lambs record of 754 and Scottish shearer Una Cameron chasing the women's nine-hours ewes record of 458 set in in the South Island by King Country shearer Sacha Bond in February.