Aaron's sheer determination

First published in 1955, until 2000 it was known as the Guinness Book of Records. And since 2000 as Guinness World Records [1, 2]. Whatever its name, I’ve never owned a copy. Or even browsed through one. In Farmdoc’s Blog I’ve mentioned it only twice– both in 2008 [3, 4]. For someone fascinated by statistics and numbers, as I am, it’s odd. Maybe it’s because many of the activities the records are set in, are bizarre and contrived. As if wannabes excogitate an activity just to set a record and gain a citation in the Guinness book. Enter 35-year-old Aaron Hemley (pictured), from Callawadda in western Victoria [5]. Last week in nearby Stawell, watched by a crowd of 800, he shore 904 sheep in 48 hours – continuously apart from a 45-minute sleep [6, 7]. That’s a bit over three minutes per sheep. An amazing effort. Aaron trained for the marathon for six months. His team included wool classers, a masseuse, a doctor, a physiotherapist, a dietitican, and adjudicators. During the 48 hours he lost 5kg weight. Oh, I almost forgot: He broke the world endurance shearing record – by 24 hours! As someone who couldn’t shear even one sheep, I salute you, Aaron. Especially as your effort raised A$100,000 for the Stawell Hospital’s Oncology Unit. That’s A$110.62 per sheep.