Two Southland women are in the running for national awards.
Patsy Shirley (76), of Lumsden, and Megan Whitehead
(26), of Gore, have been nominated for New Zealand Rural Sports Awards.
Mrs Shirley has been nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to Rural Sport award.
She said she felt overwhelmed when told about the nomination.
‘‘You don’t often get nominated at this age.
‘‘I’m really privileged.’’
She has been involved in shearing for many years.
The company kept her involved, she said.
Megan Whitehead has been nominated for the Rural Sportswoman of the Year award.
She made history in 2021 when she set a world ninehour solo women’s lamb shearing record of 661 — an average of more than 73 lambs per hour.
She said the nomination shocked her.
‘‘I had no idea about it — I only got rung up last week.’’
With six years of shearing under her belt and hopes to ‘‘travel the world’’, she would not be stopping anytime soon, she said.
The awards evening will be held in Palmerston North today.
