PHOTO: SUPPLIEDNorth Otago shearing contractor Willy McSkimming is celebrating having a clearer head and stronger body, two years after quitting booze. The 44-year-old started drinking as a young teen, a trend which continued for nearly three decades, while working in shearing sheds. In King Country, there was more work and bigger crews and plenty of opportunities to "get stuck in" to the drinking scene. He and his wife Tess bought the shearing run in King Country in 2005 and operated it for 16 years. They returned to the South, basing themselves in Oamaru, and he sold shearing gear across the South Island for three years.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 17, 2026 16:03 UTC