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Kelvin and Angie hail from the South Island of New Zealand. They both grew up on the beach and they were, like many other New Zealand kids, heavily involved in sport.  Both are mad keen runners; Kelvin having represented New Zealand at three World Mountain Running Championships in various parts of the World.  After being awarded Commonwealth and Ngai Tahu Scholarships to pursue doctoral degrees, Angie and Kelvin found themselves in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. Here they continued their love of running in the mountains, and they also took up cross-country skiing.  Not satisfied with their heavy workloads in their professional careers, one day Angie decided she needed another hobby. She wanted a sheepdog so she could go to sheepdog trials, something she had always wanted to try. Kelvin followed suit primarily because this couple does everything together. Little did they know that just two years later, they would have thrown away the trappings corporate life affords, sold their farm and all their stock, and found their way to Wales via Scotland – all for sheepdogs.

Their friends call them modern day nomads. They prefer 'adventurers.' They came to Wales for a 'few months' when someone asked them to be involved in the World Sheepdog Trials. What they did not plan on was falling in love with Wales and Welsh people.  They arrived in Llanfynydd in April, not quite knowing what to expect and not able to speak or understand a word of Welsh.  But Kelvin can do a haka (he is a Maori New Zealander), they love rugby and they love sheepdogs.  Somehow they thought they would fit in. And fit in they have.

They started going to local sheepdog trials. This is Angie's first year trialling, and Kelvin's second. You wouldn't know it. They have had their fair share of success already and both now have two silver cups apiece, having won them in local trials. Their cups sit proudly on their desks. Angie competed at the Welsh National as well with two dogs. Although things did not go well, she says it was a 'pinch-me' moment to be standing at the post at the greatest national trial in the world. While they have done well at trials, they both say the best thing about trialling is not so much the outcome but the camaraderie they have experienced along the way. They love the sheepdog people here and especially a saying the Welsh use liberally: Chware Teg – fair play. This is what sets Wales and Welsh people apart.

In coming to Wales, Angie and Kelvin wanted to make a contribution to an event they refer to as the Olympics of the sheepdog world – the World Sheepdog Trial. Angie's job was looking after the World Trial website and helping to ensure the world knew about the event and would visit Wales to attend. Her PhD in Marketing came in handy. She, along with Kelvin, also designed the World Trial Souvenir Programme – a programme they are immensely proud of.  It was a team effort.

Kelvin also helped out in organizing the layout of the trade stands, and ran errands whenever things needed doing.  He also competed for New Zealand at the World Trial with his dog, Blade. All of this was squeezed in around his teaching commitments for Universities in the United States and Canada. Kelvin, with his PhD in Education, teaches Language Arts Education to students around the globe over the internet. While he loves his work, he sure misses teaching children – and it is obvious he is a gifted teacher for kids adore him.

Now that the World Trial is over, Kelvin and Angie are planning on staying in Wales and having a rest from their nomadic lifestyle. That likely won't please some sheepdog triallists! They simply love Wales, its countryside and the 'old-fashioned' values of honesty, integrity and 'help thy neighbour.' They also say Welsh people have accepted them with open arms. And they figure as long as the Welsh rugby team beats the All Blacks, they'll be alright here.