a FARMWORKER who has looked after sheep all his life is seeking the answer to a burning question — is he the oldest sheep shearer in town, or, even, perhaps, the whole of Devon?

Basil Madge, 88, from Exbourne is still working, shearing sheep for his grandson and also taking on contract shearing jobs.

Now Basil and his granddaughter Sarah Bourne, a smallholder from nearby Monkokehampton, have decided to put an appeal – as Basil would like to know if thre is anyone else of similar vintage to himself still putting in time in the shearing shed.

Sarah, who owns a flock of Suffolk sheep herself with her husband Ashley and his brother David, said: “It was Grampy’s idea to do this, because he wanted to know whether he was the oldest sheep shearer around.

“We did a bit of research and we couldn’t find anyone who was still shearing at 88 like Grampy is. He wanted to know whether there was anyone who was still doing it He is still working, that’s the thing, He is just remarkable. He sheared our sheep a few weekends ago and he didn’t struggle. Our sheep are Suffolks. He just did it, and it was like watching a 22-year-old shearing them.”

Basil has been disrobning sheep from their winter coats since the tender age of eight, when he went along to the shearing shed with his dad, who worked on farms in the Exbourne area.

“I used to help father,” he explained. “He was a trapper catching rabbits and in the summer he did shearing for other people and I’d help.”

Basil started work himself on a farm at the age of 15, on a farm in Exbourne of 55 acres where farm tasks will were still two horses working.

It was when he went to work as a self-employed contractor on a farm in North Tawton that he really caught the bug for shearing.

He stepped into help on one farm and found he was really good at it.

That was back in the 1950s and he’s been shearing sheep on various farms ever since.

Only ever shearing right-handed, he reckons he’s sheared 5,000 sheep over the years.

Nowadays, he still shears his grandson’s sheep. He also shears the sheep of one of his neighbours “just to keep it going”.

“Every job I do, I like to do it to the best of my ability,” he says. ‘I did wonder if I am the oldest one. I would like to know.”

Can you help? You can give Basil a call on 01837 851610.