Walter Godfrey Bowen (13 February 1922 – 2 January 1994)
was a New Zealand farmer and world acclaimed
sheep shearer. With his brother Ivan, he developed the Bowen Technique, which involved the shearer using his spare hand to stretch the sheep's skin, which improved the quality of the shorn fleece. They also introduced the idea of shearing sheep twice a year, which is now the usual practice in New Zealand.
Bowen set a world record in 1953 by shearing 456 sheep in nine hours.
Bowen, along with George Harford set up the
Agrodome in
Rotorua
Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. It is sited on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authorities of New Zea ...
, which is still a popular tourist spot to this day. Tourists get to see a variety of sheep on display, see a sheep shorn and go on a tour of the farm.
In the
1960 Queen's Birthday Honours, Bowen was appointed a
Member of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
, and in 1990 he was an inaugural inductee into the
New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
Bowen was also awarded the Star of Lenin and Hero of Labour by
Soviet first secretary Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...
for services to farming and shearing in 1963.
Bowen died in Rotorua of a heart attack in 1994, leaving his wife and four children.
He was buried at Kauae Cemetery in
Ngongotahā.
References
External links
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1922 births
1994 deaths
New Zealand sheep shearers
New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire
Burials at Kauae Cemetery
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