Cromwell police officer Senior Constable Paddy Henderson at work in a Central Otago shearing shed in 2023. Snr Const Henderson used to have a shearing run and was a contractor for more than 15 years, before giving the run to Mr Kirk and enlisting in the police. Mr Kirk had the shearing run until 15 months ago when he handed it over to Scotty Armstrong. Mr Armstrong reached out to Snr Const Henderson asking for a hand and to help raise money for Mr Kirk and his family. Snr Const Henderson and the shearing fraternity came up with the 24 hour shear-a-thon idea, with volunteer shearers and donated shearing contractor workers helping to reach the goal.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 15, 2026 15:55 UTC