It was like old times for former shearing and sheep-dipping contractor Rob Morris when he picked up a handpiece for the first time in more than 30 years to give a 1940s water-cooled, Lister-built sheep-shearing machine its first run out since it was restored to full working order.

Now 81, Rob was taught to shear on a similar unit around 65 years ago, and showed off his skills as he put the 1.5hp, 700rpm machine through its paces at Ashford Young Farmers’ Club’s Lambing Day event at Hope Farm in Wittersham, Kent.

The demonstration was the culmination of months of work by Rob and a group of his former farming friends, who brought the machine back to life at their self-titled weekly Tractor Club – where he joked that more time had been spent drinking tea than restoring tractors and other pieces of agricultural machinery.

Rob, the president of Southern Shears UK, said: “Shearing sheep is like riding a bike; once you have mastered it, it never goes away. It came quite natural to shear the sheep, although it took a little longer than it used to.

“The machine worked really well and I felt comfortable using it. It was a good experience, knowing all the hours of work that had gone into it – and the numerous cups of tea we had all drunk.”

Current farmer and shearer Ed Langrish, from Beckley, followed Rob’s demonstration with one of his own on a modern-day, electric-powered shearing machine to show the audience – among a total crowd of 700 people at the event – how times and speed of finish had changed.

Asked for information on the restored machine’s history, Lister Shearing Equipment said: “This setup could be classified as the first portable-powered shearing machine and was very popular. The engine was built in the engine side of the business in Dursley, Gloucestershire, and the shearing parts would have been machined and built in the sheep-shear section on the same site.

“Unfortunately, there was a major fire in the factory back in 1983 and all the older product history was lost. We also lost a lot of older drawings and products on the sheep-shearing side. The machine would have been from the 1940s … and has been restored to a very high standard.”

The Tractor Club meets most Fridays, when Rob Morris is joined by Peter Curd, Chris Fryer, Ian Linch, Sunny Moore, Alan Pilcher and David Lovejoy, the father of Hope Farm owner and lambing day host Ed Lovejoy.

The Southern Shears UK competition, which took place at Copford Farm in Waldron, East Sussex, saw Andrew Mudge claim first place in the Open Blades competition, with Michael Churchouse in second place and George Mudge third. The South East Plate went to Tom Evci, ahead of Malcolm Sweeney and Ed Gingell.

Thanks to Tom Lovejoy for story and pictures.

For more like this, sign up for the FREE South East Farmer e-newsletter here and receive all the latest farming news, reviews and insight straight to your inbox.