New Zealand sheep dog trial captain Neil Evans will be remembered by fellow competitors for his generosity in always being free with advice to newcomers in the sport.
The close-knit dog trial community is still reeling over the loss of the veteran whistler who died in an all-terrain vehicle accident on the family farm at North Canterbury’s Omihi.
Mr Evans was widely known for his twin passions of working with dogs on the farm and in the competitive arena.
His heading dog, Tess, was among his favourites after building a strong record of two national and several island titles to her name on top of many run-off performances.
He took her to Ashburton last November as captain of the victorious New Zealand team in the two-test transtasman series against Australia.
The team including fellow Omihi club member Ian Stevenson, Southland’s Brian Dickison and Waikato’s Leo Jecentho, were determined to reverse a loss to the Aussies the year before.
With Mr Evans leading the way, they amassed 311.25 points over Australia’s 245.75 points by the end of the first day and held on strongly in the second test to reclaim the Wayleggo Cup.
Afterwards, he confided he was just about brought to tears when they were greeted back at the hotel by supporters, as so many people, including past New Zealand captains, had contributed in the build-up to the success.
"To be fair, the win is possibly just sinking in and it was a great experience and great to do it in front of all our family and friends.We had a lot of support and people had travelled from around New Zealand, which is quite humbling really."
Others among his heading line-up are Lad and Smoke which also performed with distinction at club, island and national level. Before that there was Mack and Rose — Tess’ mother.
He was 18 at the family’s sheep and cropping farm near Rangiora when he first started dog trialling.
Neighbour Henry Eder, a well-known stockman, took him under his wing and gave him a well-bred heading pup.
This act of generosity was never forgotten and from then he took the approach of paying it forward with anyone showing even a remote interest.
Often, the mentor to many gifted pups or freely gave advice.
A word of advice he liked to give "young ones" was to watch top trialists at work who could "show as much eye as the dog does".
"If you’re not watching the sheep, you’re always a split second behind. You can learn a lot by just watching the body language of sheep even in the sheep yards."
Mr Evans had been with the Omihi Collie Club since he and wife Marg moved to Seaview in the late 1980s.
The tiny club with a 15-strong membership achieved a feat unlikely to be matched when last season Mr Evans made two finals and Mr Stevenson and Ferg McLean also made the final cut at the national championships in South Otago.
Not one to boast, Mr Evans played down his role, deflecting praise, as usual, to his colleagues.
Mr Stevenson said this was typical of a man he had known virtually since birth.
"Neil’s a great mate who was only too happy to share his knowledge on many subjects, whether it be talking to rugby players after a game, sheep and beef farming or his great passion — the art of training a heading dog or huntaway to the highest level of its ability to work with its trainer."
He said any youngster, or even an older person, showing natural ability, commitment and enthusiasm would benefit from his knowledge and tips.
"Nothing was held back and it happened regularly in the last few years that some of his pupils were competing and being successful at the highest level. As Neil would say: ‘Some of these young ones are lifting the bar and to be competitive us older fellows have to lift our own game to stay equal or half a point ahead’."
Immensely proud of his family, many of who are notable dog trialists in their own right, he took pride in their development of his beloved Seaview, a coastal sheep and beef property overlooking Pegasus Bay to the east and north to the Kaikoura ranges.
Sheep breeding was another strong interest and he passed on a corriedale stud to other family members after starting it in 1979.
The New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association paid tribute to Mr Evans in a statement.
"Neil was well respected and extremely successful dog triallist and good friend of so many in our sport."
A service to honour and celebrate his life was held at Omihi Community Hall.
