Oberon Quickshear winner Jovan Taiki, left, with co-organiser Josh Clayton. Image – Heiniger.

A CAR load of enterprising shearers combined golf and the Oberon QuickShear for a relaxing and lucrative cross-country sporting outing on the weekend.

The Naracoorte-based shearers included expatriate New Zealander Jovan Taiki who set a new record for the Oberon Quickshear on Saturday, taking home $10,000 in cash for shearing a lamb in 23.93 seconds – setting a new record for the event.

Event co-organiser Josh Clayton said Jovan and his shearing mates left Naracoorte on Thursday, stopping at Albury and Bathurst on the way to rest and play golf before fronting up at the quickshear on Saturday.

And while at the event, the shearers also won another $6000 on the Calcutta by backing Jovan for a win in the final, Mr Clayton said, making Australia’s most lucrative quickshear well worth the 2200 kilometre round trip.

Jovan also won $7000 in the Thargomindah Quickshear last year, which then had the highest prizemoney of any in Australia, until it was superceded by the Oberon event.

Co-organiser Aaron Booth said the event attracted double the number of shearers as last year, with 94 competitors this year, including 44 open shearers, 22 seniors, 18 intermediates and 10 learners.

“It was a massive success, it was unreal.

“It just goes to show if you can get the money and the hype …. ”

The event also raised $9500 for breast cancer sufferer Amy Gulliver who is on her way to Mexico for treatment, Mr Booth said.

“She left her four month-old baby and her fiancé behind so to be able to raise $9500 for her from the Calcutta, and with Heiniger donating a handpiece to be auctioned off (sold for $2700), it was unreal.”

“We had a massive turnout from the community so it was a really good day.”

Western Australian shearer Richard Sturis won second place and $3000 with a 24.21-second effort, ahead of Josh Clayton third in 24.75 seconds, Rocky Wegner fourth in 25.28 seconds, Aaron Bell fifth in 25.7 seconds, Tipene Tehwata sixth in 26.5 seconds, Imran Sullivan seventh in 28 seconds, Jamie Boothman eighth in 33 seconds, Trae Crow was ninth and Daniel Linett was tenth.

The winner of the Artie Ryan Memorial event where shearers had to shear a sheep with their lefthand and skol a beer was won by Rocky Wegner from Goulburn.

“Next year I think it will be even bigger,” Mr Booth said.

Oberon businessman Neil ‘Soap’ Evans paid $2700 for a Heiniger handpiece — specially covered in an ‘Oberon green’ sleeve — and then donated it back for a perpetual trophy in honour of his father Laurie, a well-known local farmer.

From left, Heiniger representative Guy Goode, local business man Neil ‘Soap’ Evans who purchased Heiniger’s donated shearing handpiece, with Heiniger NSW territory manager Bec Moore.