'Shear 4 Cora' represents a wonderful community spirit

TONY ORMAN

A two day “Shearathon” held in mid-January at Freddy and Nikita Gane’s “Kaituna Ridges” farm near Havelock reflected a wonderful community spirit said Marlborough shearer Earl Paewai.

The sponsored two-day shearing event and auction was to raise money for cancer sufferer Cora McConnell of Wairau Valley who had to go to Germany to get specialised but very expensive, treatment for a rare variant cancer she is currently battling.

Over $70,000 was raised by the “Kaituna Ridges Shearathon” and an auction held Saturday afternoon said Freddy Gane.

“It was a great weekend with a wonderful spirit of giving for a very worthy cause,” he said.

The concept resulted from a “brain-storm” between Freddy Gane and Earl Paewai over a beer in the Woodbourne Tavern at Renwick on the night of a huntaway “bark-up” event in November last year which was also to assist in raising money for Cora’s cancer treatment. Freddy realised despite the many thousands raised by the bark-up, it was not sufficient to cover the necessary costs. So they came up with the idea of a weekend entitled “Shear 4 Cora” to raise more funds.

Action was vital. “It gave us just six weeks to organise in amongst Christmas - New Year, a funeral, a wedding, school prize giving, pre-wedding parties, 6000 lambs to crutch, hosted farm tours, vineyard management and on-going business and life administration with raising four youngsters,” explained Nikita Gane and added with a smile, “Somehow we pulled it all together, thanks to a very willing and giving community plus some long days and nights to make it happen.”

The embryo of the concept had come from Earl’s daughter who was a shearer in a similar event to raise money for cancer down in Southland. Shear 4 Blair, was a 24-hour fundraising shearing event held last year in West Otago to raise money for the Southland Charity Hospital Trust. The Southland Charity Hospital Trust was established in 2019 to provide healthcare for people living in the Southern DHB area. Winton man Blair Vining died of bowel cancer in 2019, after calling for cancer care to be equitable for all New Zealanders. His wife Melissa set up the Southland Charity Hospital in his honour.

“Shearing is a great avenue for the idea,” explained Freddy Gane. “We had the sheep all 6,000 plus at Kaituna Ridges, the sheep needed shearing and we had the shearers very willing to give a day or two shearing for the cause.”

And it proved a great success with shearers in high spirits and sponsorships flooding in.

The generous sponsorship was reflected in some shearers individually raising $6 a sheep shorn.  Fun was to the fore when just over $1,000 was donated when shearer Josh Quinn agreed to having his beard and hair cut using a hand piece powered by a hand drill.

Freddy knew Cora through a local veterinarian service and Cora’s husband Euan is prominent in local dog trials which Freddy also competes in and is involved in administration.

Earl Paewai said the weekend event reflected the positive side of human nature. “The sponsorship was pretty heart-warming. It’s a very good cause, it brings people together and brings out the best in people in giving,” he said. “After all, everyone today has a family member or two, or friend who has had to battle cancer or lost dear ones to the disease,” he said.

Earl Paewai grew up on a southern Hawkes Bay farm. The name Paewai is synonymous with top flight rugby even to All Black level. Earl has now lived in Marlborough for 12 years and retired from professional shearing 10 years ago.

He paid tribute to Freddy and Nikita Gane for Kaituna Ridges generous contribution and to sponsors and shearers who en-masse gave so willingly.

“Kaituna Ridge’s quality Romneys were very good to shear,” he added.

Anyone wishing to donate can google Cora McConnell and “Give a Little’ or contact Freddie and Nikita Gane on facebook