Yass shearer sets world record for women - 395 Merino lambs in eight hours

It’s a scribbled note on the back of a certificate that names Nikki Lyons as a world champion shearer that means more to the Yass farmer than any accolade showered on her.

Written by Dwayne Black – five-time world-record shearer and her mentor – it congratulates Nikki on setting the first women’s record for shearing the most Merino lambs in eight hours – 395.

Nikki, 37 and a mother of four, set the record last Sunday at a shearing shed near Yass – managing to shear a lamb every 72.3 seconds. She is only the second Australian woman to set a shearing record after Jeanine Kimm set a record for shearing the most Merino ewes in eight hours – 358 or 80.8 seconds per ewe.

“The reverse side of my record certificate means more to me than the front,” she said of the words written by “Blacky”.

“That was one of the most amazing performances I have seen. You showed awesome composure, technique and mental strength. You are a champion. Welcome to the club,” he wrote.

“Thank you Blacky for inspiring me 20 years ago and standing next to me all day and getting me through every sheep to even have this certificate for you to write on,” Nikki responded.

Nikki, who started shearing at age 17, had planned to go to university but fell in love with the industry so spent the next six years following the work across the country.

She left the industry for about a decade to raise her four children with partner Fergus, also a shearer, and live the good life on their 40-hectare property at Good Hope, near Yass. But something continued to gnaw at her. It was something Dwayne Black had said years ago when he was busy setting shearing records – that they were all achieved by men, Nikki said.

She had been “shearing during school hours” while raising her four children, but her love for the skill, support from family and friends and “the fact I got fitter”, encouraged her to give the world record a shot.

She started working with a variety of coaches to get herself into not only her best physical shape, but mentally as well.

“Everyone was so supportive,” she said. “My parents came over from Western Australia to help with the kids.”

Despite setting the world record, Nikki said she felt she could have “done better” on the day, adding that the lambs were not in the best condition.

“Even the judge said they were the toughest sheep he’d seen,” she said. “I couldn’t push my handpiece in any further.

“I didn’t even work up a sweat.”

Nikki said she hoped her effort would encourage more women to enter the industry. Although there were more women in the industry today, she said, men still tended to get the best jobs.

“It’s the sort of industry that you have to prove yourself, make a name for yourself – then you’ll be OK.”

Nikki said she was overwhelmed by the support from locals – and even strangers – for the world record.

“I couldn’t have done it without my support team,” she said.

Original Article published by Sally Hopman on About Regional.