THE WIZARD OF THE SAW

Taranaki Daily News, 7 December 1929, Page 5

THE WIZARD OF THE SAW

ALBERT VOLZKE’S RECORD

FINE TARANAKI FAMILY.

ALMOST INVINCIBLE BROTHERS.

There have been some hefty men and some giants amongst the choppers and sawyers of New Zealand. Possibly the pick of the early days bushmen were to be found in the kauri forests north of Auckland, especially among the halfcaste Maoris. Some of the finest specimens of physique I have ever seen were men who had borne the brunt of the rough bush camp life of the kauri forests and the sawmills. As well as brawn they had intellect of no mean order. Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, Manawatu and the Main Trunk all at varying periods produced their quota of brilliant bushmen with axe and saw.

The offspring of the British Isles have not had it all their own way in the New Zealand bush. When Bishop Mourad brought his countrymen from Denmark they made their axes ring in the Danish settlements of the Forty Mile Bush around Dannevirke, and’ in the Manawatu. In those localities the’ sons of Scandinavia. • ranked • with the best. Here in Taranaki we were fav-, oured by the sons of other European nations, who settled amongst us, making good pioneer . citizens and taking kindly to the axe and saw. Many of these:were factors in early Taranaki’s bush -life...

Albert Volzke -was , one .of - four brothers each of whom .was.- a son of the bush. Taranaki has-been rich--in its athletic and foptball . families, and it has produced many, families .handy, with the axe and saw.-Tf a vote were taken as to which was the* outstanding one it is safe to say. the. Volzke .family would have the majority of. votes. The eldest brother, Albert, .in - his prime, stood sft lOJin and scaled around 13 stone. He, is now very hear 55 years old. Arthur,’-who is just 42,;. stood sft lOin and weighed ,14st . 61b. .Charlie" who has seen.4o summers, was’sft 10in and scaled 14st 31b, and .is stilb going strong. August, who was the giant of the family, when 22 years of age stood 6ft Lin, weighing 15st 31b, without an' ounce of superfluous flesh. He was accidentally killed -at Gisborne before reaching . his prime. August was looked upon by authorities as a coming world’s champion axeman.

WELL TREATED IN HANDICAPS.

Albert Volzke made his first appearance in a public chop about 1901 at tin Eltham Caledonian sports on March 17, winning an 18-inch standing block chop with 30sec start. With- his 1 brother August he won the double-handed sawing, 18-inch logs, in which they received 4in handicap. They never got that start again. At the second . Eltham carnival, on November 10. 1902, Albert won the single-handed sawing handicap with 4in from Jack Pettit (scratch), was first in the double-handed sawing championship with his brother August, and was first in the single-handed championship. ■On December 24, 1902, at Okato, he won the 2ft block chop from scratch; giving starts up to 90 secs. In the single-hand-ed handicap August was first and Albert second, both from scratch, and there were over 20 starters. The doublehanded handicap saw the two' Volzke brothers win from scratch, giving 9 inches. The brothers went to Dannevirke on May 24, 1902, winning the double-hand-ed sawing championship, beating the Hawke’s Bay champions, Young and Benbow. Albert won from scratch the single-handed sawing handicap, was second in the underhand chop, and won the 401 b cheese prize for the biggest chip of the day. At Dannevirke again in 1903, partnered with his younger brother Arthur, who was only 17, he again' won the double-handed sawing from scratch. Albert won the singlehanded sawing from scratch, giving 25 seconds, and the 25 competitors included Jack Pettet on 15s.ee. The time, 48 1-5 see, was a world’s record for a 22in log, which I believe still stands. The youthful Arthur was second in this event. On January 1, 1903, at Mangaweka, Albert took the single-handed event from scratch, Con Casey (2sec) being second, and with his brother August won the double-handed sawing, ISin log, giving 4in start to the Pretty brothers, Dave and Joe, in what was then world’s record time, 11 2-ssec.

Again at? Mangaweka Arthur began the New Year well by winning the boys' chop, in which some pretty old boys' took part. The irrepressible Con Casey had a boy “readied up,” in one George Vincent, from Australia, who looked boyish, but who was about 25 years old. He had won a good many matches against men, who all fell for the “boy man.” When Con found young Volzke could chop he pulled his boy out and backed Taranaki. Albert won the single-handed handicap from scratch and the brothers won the double-hand-ed sawing from scratch.

THOROUGHLY GOOD SPORTSMEN.

At the Hawera show in 1902 Albert won the 18in log handicap chop, and with his brother August won the doublehanded sawing from scratch, 2ft log. Again at Hawera in 1903 Albert won the 18in chop, but when the nominations for the 2ft double-handed sawing were opened only Albert and August were entered; other sawyers had experienced enough of them. Mr. Hardy, secretary of the New Zealand Axemen’s Association, remarked, ‘‘You will have an easy win to-day.” But the brothers would not saw. Then the officials requested them to saw against time. The brothers inquired, “What time do you suggest?” They were told 35 seconds would be good time. Seeing they later did 23 l-ssec it would have been easy money for them. However, being sportsmen, they said they would not saw and lift the cash, but would leave it for another day, which never came, as Hawera never again had either chops or saws in its schedule.

In January or February, 1903 and 1904, Tariki held meetings. The brothers Albert and August cleaned up all the chopping and sawing events at both meetings. Since then these contests have not been included in Tariki programmes.

At Batapiko in the autumn of 1904 or 1905 the youngest brother, Charlie, made his first appearance with Albert, gaining a dead heat in the local championship with Gus Carlson and Arthur Sullivan. The officials asked them to saw ..again, but Carlson and his chum said, “No, give £hem the boodle.” Albert also won the lain underhand chop from scratch, giving 50sec start, In 1903, at

Kaimata, Albert from scratch won the standing and underhand 18in log chop and Albert and. August won the doublehanded sawing, an 18in log. In 1904 they repeated the performance, except that Albert was second in place of first in the underhand chop, won by Crofsky, using one of Albert’s axes. At the Eltham carnival in 1903 Albert won the single-handed sawing from scratch, giving 30sec start. August and Albert won the double-handed sawing, beating Mitchell and his mate, great sawyers of those days. It will be remembered that Mitchell reckoned they would have won only that their saw had run into a nail, but when search was made no nail was found. The brothers next, from scratch, won the backing up competition, meaning the chopping of a 6in scarf and then finishing through the log with the saw. Kelly and Cohen, South Island champions, were second a good. way behind. At Okato on March 17, 1904, August and Albert won the double-handed sawing frpm scratch and'also won' the teams’ chop, 2ft log, giving . Con .Casey and ■Dave Pretty, the runners-up, . 15sec start. . The following week the brothers went, to Tataramaika, again winning the 2ft handicap chop, this time standing up Casey and Pretty 45sec, and also winning the double-handed sawing handicap. August won the underhand chop off the same mark as Con Casey, who, as he saw Volzke’s name on the blackboard as the winner, exclaimed, “Good Lord, ,if that, man can beat me like that I will never, chop underhand again.” That was his last chop in Taranaki. Going to Gisborne he won a £5O match .chop, shortly after wlrich he met .his untimely, end., .

BREAKING A WORLD'S RECORD.

At .the . 1905 Eltham .carnival, again in double../harness, . Albert and Arthur won the double-handed sawing championship, 2ft; log, in. 23 l-ss.ee, another .world’s record; which I am. under the impression -is still standing. In . .the first round, they sawed, a dead heat with another great pair in. Dave Pretty and Con Casey. In the saw off another dead heat resulted. Thus four men hold certificates with a world’s record showing thereon. This was on December 26 — nearly 25 years ago. ; Albert got second in the underhand handicap Chop, giving 'several seconds to the -winner, Sam Johnston, of Gisborne. I. had overlooked Te Kiri in 1903, where all. the world’s champions gathered. At this meeting Albert and August wdn the double-handed sawing handicap from scratch, Albert also winning the underhand. chop. with 10 or 15sec from E. R. Terry, who was a great Ausj traliah chopper. At Auroa in 1904 Albert won the 18in standing chop from scratch, McNab on 7Osec being second, in the good time of Imin 19sec. At the New. Plymouth exhibition chops Albert and Arthur won the exhibition saw handicap from scratch, Albert also getting second from scratch in the visitors’ l'sin handicap chop. Again at New Plymouth sports in 1906 or 1907 Albert was second in the ISin standing block chop from scratch. At Egmont Village in 1906 or 1907 he -won the 18in standing chop from scratch giving. 70sec start with Marshall second. At Bell Block in 1907 Arthur, and Albert won the double-handed handicap from scratch and won the 18in ’standing chop from scratch, the limit being 45sec. Another 1903 meeting where the best, men of the day competed was Midhirst Mill sports. Off lOsec Albert won the 18in log chop, limit GOsec, With impulsive Charlie Hutton (scratch) second. August and Albert won the doublehanded, underhand sawing, 2ft log, from scratch. At a small meeting on York Road in 1904 Albert won the 18in standing chop and the 18in single-handed

sawing. At Waitara about 1907 or 1908 Charlie Volzke again came on the scene, pairing with Albert. They won the double-handed sawing, two cuts off the log, giving 12sec. About the year 1908 at Durham Road Albert won the 15in chop from scratch giving what must have been a world’s record limit of 150 sec to an Inglewood town competitor. At the Inglewood axemen’s carnival about 1911 or 1912 the brothers Charles and Albert “cleaned up” the programme, all from scratch, the pair winning the double-handed awing 2ft log handicap and being first and second in the singlehanded sawing, 2ft blocks. In the standing 18in block chop Charlie was first and Albert second, in the underhand 18 inch block Albert was first and Charlie second, and in the lain standing chop Charlie was first and Albert second.

In later years Charles Volzke has filled the gap caused by the retirement of his elder brother, and he is even now the scratch man at all Taranaki meetings. At a later date I purpose reviewing his performances. Albert is known far and wide as a saw doctor. His old opponents tell me that what he does not know about a saw is not worth knowing. Admitting he was the champion cf champions when at work with 'a saw on a log, they say other men could do far better with a saw set by Albert than by any other man. He w§.s looked on as somewhat of a wizard with a saw. In summing up his opponents he said that in his opinion for his weight and inches Con Casey was “the Daddy of them all.”