In 1975, I set a new World Record shearing 609 sheep in 9 hours. The same year, whilst representing the UK in a European Shearing Competition at the Paris Agricultural Show, a number of Frenchmen showed a great interest in our sophisticated equipment – mainly handpieces, combs and cutters. These were all goods I had previously purchased from New Zealand. I am proud to say that the next three to four years proved to be successful, purchasing from New Zealand and selling to the French. I also recognised the difficulty in obtaining the right equipment in the UK and even finding someone with adequate knowledge and skills for repair of the equipment. I invited my retired neighbour Wing Commander Cedric Beven on one of my visits to Paris and late one night an idea was born – ‘Welsh Shearing Equipment Centre Ltd’
During this initial period, my late partner Cedric Bevan and myself traded from the living room of his house with a UK turnover of £600.00 It took another five to six years of advertising, hard work and determination before the business began to succeed. Eventually, the French began sourcing their own equipment and there was many a time we felt completely disillusioned and came close to giving it all up. However, due to our patience and the loyalty of our customers past and present, the rewards began to increase and the company became established.
1975 was also the year that I imported my first pair of Huntaway Sheepdogs and to commemorate them, we launched our self-designed Huntaway Comb, which even to this day continues to be our best selling comb! I still run my hill farm near Sennybridge and I completely understand the needs of people working with sheep and reflect this knowledge in the equipment and service we provide at Welsh Shearing. Age does not come alone, however I am proud to have an excellent team, Sam (Repairs) and Lowri (Office Administrator). Please advise them, as we always welcome any comments or suggestions for improvements regarding our service, catalogue and our website. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you again at the various venues which bring us all together each year.
