While thousands of people are strolling through Fieldays, checking out the latest farm technology, or waiting in line for food, eight men are covered in sweat and breaking their backs building fences.
The men competed in the Golden Pliers fencing competition on Thursday, starting at eight in the morning, working through to about two in the afternoon without a break.
Several hours later, after a rigorous judging process, Shane Bouskill was announced as the 2017 winner of fencing’s top award. It was his fourth win in five years, a run that was only interrupted in 2015 by Tim Stafford.
Fencing has been a part of Fieldays since 1969 and is a chance for professional fencers and contractors to showcase their skills and hang out with all the other competitors.
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Desmond Nielsen
Colin Brown has been a judge at the Fieldays fencing competition for 13 years and was a former competitor for 18 years.
“My favourite part of competing was the camaraderie because we all come from different parts of the country so it’s a great chance for us to catch up and have a yarn,” Brown says.
“I didn’t go to Fieldays the year after I retired because I knew I’d want to compete again if I showed up.”
The judging for the fencing competitions at Fieldays, especially for the Golden Pliers is a painstaking task for the judging panel of six.
Judges are paired up, analysing different aspects of the fence by making sure everything is plumb and spaced correctly, before a digger rolls in to carry out a five-tonne pressure test, checking the fences for movement and stability.
“Once everything’s done it’s about five in the afternoon, so it’s a long day and a long process,” Brown says.
The Golden Pliers event is usually battled out between the veteran competitors of the sport, and Vanessa Stafford, representative of New Zealand Fencing Competitions, says it’s not often that new guys make it to the Golden Pliers final.
“We have two young guys competing this year. Jack Richardson in his first year here in the final, and Jason Van Beers in his second,” Stafford says.
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A veteran competitor who’s also gunning for the Golden Pliers this year is Mark Lambert, who values the opportunity to compete in the event.
“There’s a lot of young fellas knocking on the door now so you can’t take anything for granted,” Lambert says.
Competing at Fieldays for 12 years now, Lambert has never won the Golden Pliers, but along with Jeff Joines, has won the Silver Spade doubles event for the last two years.
“Some teams tackle tasks together but Jeff and I work well because we each have our own strengths and we like to do things separately,”
“There’s never a guarantee making it past the heats but you hope experience plays it part,” Lambert says.
For NZFC President and former Golden Pliers champion Tim Stafford, he finds himself in the mix once again as he looks to take the title for the second time.
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Stafford has been competing for 10 years, and winning the Golden Pliers in 2015 has been his proudest moment so far.
“When I first started I was just glad that I could rub shoulders with these guys,” Stafford says.
“I never thought I would make it to this level, and to win the Golden Pliers, that was just the pinnacle.”
Along with his accomplishments in the sport, as president of the NZFC he does a lot of work behind the scenes with help from those around him.
“My wife Vanessa does a lot to help out with the NZFC duties and I have a really good committee and I couldn’t do it without them.”
With the high intensity and endurance needed to compete, Stafford takes his preparation seriously by mountain biking 40 kilometres twice a week and running 5 kilometres three times a week
“It’s crucial to work on your fitness, or else you won’t be able to compete in these conditions for six and a half hours,” Stafford says.
Much like Colin Brown, the friendly atmosphere between the competitors is enough reason for Stafford to come back to the Fieldays fencing competition every year.
“Everyone here is good mates with each other. I didn’t know any of them when I started but we’ve all formed good friendships.”
“I’m going to keep competing as long as the body lets me and my mates are still here.”
