Both the sun and the people showed up this weekend for the Shear for Life fundraiser event, raising an estimated $150,000 for the Cancer Society Mid Canterbury and Hospice Mid Canterbury.

“Hundreds and hundreds” of people made their way to Hindsridge farm on Saturday for the event to watch an all-star lineup of shearers make their way through almost 3000 sheep.

Sporting legends including pioneer Black Fern Christine Ross, commonwealth runner Richard "Dick'' Tayler and All Black legends made their way to Hinds to garner support for the cause, including Bill Bush.

“I was asked to come down to join some of the ex-All Blacks – Ian Kirkpatrick and Richard Loe, Richard Tayler, Jock Ross – to support the cause.”

The stars got to try their hands at shearing too.

“I shore one in the morning, but I just did the ears,” Bush said.

“I’m very good at shearing them on a plate.”

For him and the other sportspeople, the theme “In remembrance of absent friends,” was well picked.

“I was down here when they did the last event in 2019, that went great.

“Since then, two of my mates have died, Tane Norton and Sir Brian Lochore, and I miss them.”

Event organiser Sandra Curd said many important people had passed, and the Shear for Life was a chance to reflect on their lives and contributions to the rural community.

“Dick Ewing, the landowner here, he passed away from cancer.

“And we had Sir Brian Lochore here last time, he’s passed away, my husband’s passed away, and there are a lot of shearers as well.”

She was stoked with the turnout and how the day had run.

“It’s been wonderful.

“The All Blacks did an interview, and the shearing shed was just packed with people.”

While the sportspeople were a draw card, the shearing stage was full of talent too, with the likes of Sir David Fagan taking to the stage.

Curd said this event was one for the books, and while a third Shear for Life was on the cards, it wouldn’t be any time soon.

“It’s not the fact that it’s a lot of work.

“The generosity of Mid Canterbury is very, very humbling, and you can’t just tap into them again in the next year.”

Event coordinator Rocky Bull came up with the initial idea with some Australian friends, raising $100,000 for charities in 2019.

To mark a point of difference with this event, he set an age limit – no shearers were under 50.

“We decided to get a whole lot of mates over 50 together, initially we thought there’d be 10 of us, and it just grew and grew and grew.”

While an event might not be held here for a while, Bull said he’d like to pitch it to North Island shearers and get something going up there.

By Anisha Satya