Nicki Guttler has continued a long-standing tradition of world-record shearing success at Parkdale SRS Merino Stud in Gilgandra Shire, while creating her own legacy after breaking the world mark for Merino lambs for a female shearer late last year.

The 30-year-old produced tallies of 116, 112, 112, and 110 across four two-hour runs to shear 450 lambs for the day and break the former short-lived World Sheep Shearing Records Society Incorporated (WSSRSI) eight-hour record for a woman shearing merino lambs on December 21, 2024.

The WSSRSI is a world-affiliated body that oversees world record attempts in shearing.

Referees for Nicki’s successful attempt include Johnny Fraser, who travelled from the United Kingdom, and Australian trio Mark Buscamb, Peter Artridge and Barry Hammonds.

It was the seventh WSSRSI world record attempt at Don Mudford’s Parkdale SRS Merino Stud, located 45 kilometres south-west of Gilgandra and 35 kilometres north-west of Dubbo.

Of those seven attempts, five have been successful and Nicki Guttler’s new world mark came only two months after Steven Mudford collected his third world record when he sheared 421 Merino wethers in nine hours at Parkdale.

“It was a huge relief,” Nicki Guttler said of breaking the world record.

“It’s such an overwhelming feeling… you are so focused during the day that you don’t think about too much until it is over. I was stoked to have been able to achieve it.”

Nicki Guttler’s new world mark came only five weeks after fellow NSW female shearer Nikki Lyons had set the WSSRSI world record by shearing 395 merino lambs in eight hours at a shearing shed at Bowning, near Yass.

Nicki Guttler was able to better that mark by 55 in a remarkable achievement.

Steven Mudford, who himself holds three WSSRSI records and is Don Mudford’s nephew, started the initial conversations which progressed.

“The conversations kept coming up,” Nicki Guttler said.

Interestingly, at the time there was not a women’s world record for shearing Merino lambs in eight hours so the goal looked a smart one to strive for.

However, Nikki Lyons changed that. That meant Nicki Guttler had a tally she had to beat, which she did comfortably.

Shearing 450 lambs in eight hours (480 minutes) equates to shearing a lamb every 64 seconds.

Preparing for these events takes years, both for the shearer and the landholder who needs to prepare sheep conducive to being shorn fast.

Nicki, 30, grew up at Lockhart in the NSW Riverina, and started shearing around a year after she left Yanco Agricultural High School.

Like many, Nicki was not sure what she wanted to do when she left school and worked as an in-home carer and worked in a hotel.

Her former school was running a shearing competition and she decided to enter.

So she asked her mother Helen Guttler to teach her how to shear a sheep.

Helen is an experienced wool classer who could also shear competently.

Nicki had a go and then went to a two-week shearing school at Wagga Wagga TAFE and then further shearing schools.

She then picked up a job with a cousin and shearing contractor Trevor Gibbs and his wife Steph Gibbs at Temora, starting as a roustabout.

After a year or so of being a roustabout, she started to combine it with shearing, alternating between either shed job for a few years, before getting a full-time stand.

Her shearing career progressed and she was able to then work across the state solo and started entering Sports Shear NSW (SSNSW) competitions.

It was competing where he started to run into the Mudford families, as the Parkdale SRS Merino Stud supplies sheep to the Dubbo Show, which often hosts state finals of SSNSW events.

Nicki recalled one shearing school and then shearing at the same farm where the training had been held.

She was able to shear her first 100 on her third day of work after the school, having been motivated by a fellow shearing school member who tallied his first 100 the day before.

A shearer’s first-ever 100 is a big step towards being recognised as someone capable with a hand piece.

Nicki made contacts via SSNSW shearing competitions and steadily built up her skills, speed and contacts.

In 2019, she was competing in the SSNSW intermediate state finals, where the top two went onto represent NSW at national finals. She finished third, missing the top two by half-a-point.

The next year, she travelled to shows across the state, but COVID-19 struck and she did not get to compete in state finals.

During this time she had won her out of the intermediate category into the senior grade of SSNSW competitions.

Once shows commenced, she made the senior final and in 2023 won the NSW senior state final. There are 23 shows across the circuit within the state with finals in Dubbo.

She now competes in the open category, the highest level, in SSNSW.

Such rapid development led to this successful world-record attempt, which had an extensive support team behind her.

Renowned English shearer Martin Howlett travelled across the world to assist Nicki.

Martin himself holds a WSSRSI world record with John Roberts, after Martin (539) and Jonny (536) shore a combined 1075 strong wool ewes in eight hours in England in September 2019.  

The Englishman was on the board all day offering advice and encouragement to Nicki.

Josh Clayton was also a key assistant taking care of Nicki’s hydration and nutrition needs, as it was a reported 38 degrees at Parkdale SRS Merino Stud the day Nicki broke the world record. He also assisted with personal training pre-event.

Billy Hutchison was also assisting Martin ,and Nicki Guttler’s boyfriend Connor Price was also part of the team keeping Nicki’s pen full all day to save time finding sheep in the pen.

Massage therapist Steve Barwick was also a key player among many others.   

Nicki arrived at Parkdale a fortnight before the successful world record attempt, shearing a line of ewes and Angora goats in preparation before some sprint sessions shearing 15 or so lambs.

Nicki was thankful of people that had supported her financially, on the day, or both.

She was also able to raise $4,280 for sHedway, a mental health not-for-profit supporting the shearing industry.

Nicki said the Mudford family had drafted around 4000 Merino ewes and lambs to find the select 600 Merino lambs ready if needed for the day that could help her set a new world record.

“They are just a great family to work with… so supportive of both shearing and the sheep industry itself,” she said.

“With a number of successful records being set there, it is reassuring that they have the right sheep to do the job. They are nice easy-going straight sheep while still being Merinos

“It’s piece of mind knowing that I didn’t have to do much with the sheep. The family is very easy to work with and I knew the sheep would be conducive to fast shearing with a good line of 600 lambs as consistent as possible. I had faith in them.”

In 2025, Nicki Guttler wants to concentrate on Sports Shear NSW and national events.

This will mean adjusting her style to show shearing and is hoping to become the first woman to make an open circuit final.