Josh Balme was hopping around on crutches last week after injuring himself playing rugby for St Paul’s Collegiate second XV – but that wasn’t before he’d won the New Zealand junior shearing title.
Josh, 15, is a year 11 student and hails from a family sheep and beef farm just north of Te Kuiti.
Nearly 1000 acres of rolling country, the farm runs beef along with 800 to 900 ewes and lambs.
Josh grew up around the shearing shed finishing off the tail enders as a kid and becoming an official part of the shearing team with his dad Digger since he was 11.
The round of annual national shearing competitions begins in October and continues to the Easter final in Auckland.
Despite making a late start to the season in January the two metre-tall youth won the junior competition on points in events held from Kaikohe to Masterton including the national Golden Shears in Masterton, where he placed third.
Josh likes the country life.
A day’s shearing is hard work – ‘‘like two marathons back to back’’.
He thinks he’ll probably go back farming when he finishes school.
