Godfrey Bowen not only confirmed sheep shearing as legitimate sport, he made it entertainment as well, taking his talents around New Zealand and around the world.

Bowen in 1953 set a world record by shearing 456 ewes in nine hours and was thereafter in demand at A and P shows around the North Island.

A Wool Board member saw Bowen in action and he was hired as the board’s chief instructor, subsequently making demonstration tours of Australia, Britain, France, the United States, South America and the Soviet Union.

In Moscow in 1963, he was made a Hero of Socialist Labour by the Premier, Nikita Khruschev.

In 1970 Bowen produced and directed New Zealand’s main outdoor display at Expo `70 in Japan.