EXHIBITION OF TREE FELLING

Southland Times, Issue 23715, 13 January 1939, Page 5

EXHIBITION OF TREE FELLING

CALEDONIAN GAMES TOMORROW CHAMPION AXEMEN TO MEET IN CONTEST The Invercargill Caledonian Games tomorrow promise to be one of the greatest sporting attractions ever held in Invercargill. Record entries have been received—there are 69 competitors in one bushcraft event alone—and athletes from all parts of New Zealand will be competing. Not the least impressive feature of the day will be the tree-felling contest between W. Johnston, of Sydney, the world’s champion axeman, and M. C. Parker, also of Sydney, the world’s champion underhand chopper. The decision of the CaledoiJan Society to make the tree-felling exhibition a competitive event was a wise one. Spectacular though Johnston’s exhibi- ! tion is, the display will be more exciting when he has to concede a start to another champion axeman. This event alone should draw a big crowd to the show grounds on Saturday as it is unique in Southland. At the Tuatapere sports Johnston showed how spectacular tree-felling can be. He made his assault on a 13-inch birch log, standing 17 feet 6 inches high. He began by cutting a slot near the foot of the log, placed the end of a narrow board—known as a jigger board —in the slot, balanced himself on the board, cut another two slots, placing a jigger board in each, and then swaying precariously on the third board, proceeded to scarf the top of the log. He then came down and repeated the operations on the other side. Standing on the third board, just below the top of the log, he swung his axe as freely as though he were standing firmly on the ground below and cut through the log in fast time. It was for tree-felling that he won his title of world champion at the Sydney Royal Show last year. The “shoe” or jigger board is seldom used in the bush in New Zealand. In Australia and Tasmania, however, treefelling from a “shoe” is an everyday occurrence with the bushmen. But a tree-felling contest never fails to draw a big and excited crowd when staged as a contest at shows and sports meetings. In fact, it is recognized as one of the biggest “draws” at the Sydney Royal Show. In Tasmania where the timber is exceptionally big and rough at the butt, yet tapers off to a good clean round barrel from 10 to 15 feet up, all the felling is done from the “shoe.” Trees that would measure from 30 to 40 feet round at the ground would be onlj five or six feet through further up and it was necessary for the bushman Jx> invent some quick and simple means of climbing a tree to the clean wood, unless he was willing to spend a week or more in trying to fell a tree standing on the ground. The “shoe” was the result. The shoe got its name through a brain wave on the part of a bushman, who hit on the idea of fastening a horseshoe on the end of his board and using the clip that is turned up in front to hold the board in position. Hence the term “shoe.”