IT was tourist weather for the three day Mackay Show where more than 50 properties entering 590 cattle in the trade section, however as happens every three years, following Rockhampton’s beef spectacular, the stud entires were way down, with only forty head on the ground, the majority from local studs.
A feature of this years’ Show was the staging of the where nine of Australia’s finest axeman over 60 years-of-age pitted themselves against nine from New Zealand. Held over three heats, it involved a relay, with three underhand chops (where the axeman stands on the block he is chopping) and three standing blocks, with sawing separating the two, first a crosscut saw operated by one man and then one operated by two.
The first two heats were held at the Mackay Show, the Australian’s winning the first by two hits (or chops) and the Kiwi’s the second, also by two hits. The final was held at the Proserpine Show and was won by the Aussies, by three hits, although in all the heats the lead changed four or five times, meaning the competitors were very evenly matched.
The wood for the Challenge was poplar from a plantation in NSW that was originally planted for matches, however the Bic lighter dried up that market and it has found a place as a great soft wood for competition chopping.
As the NZ captain Gordon Mannering said, “We’re mortal enemies for about ten minutes, then we get together, have a beer, and tell a lot of lies about how well we can chop.”
*More pictures in this week’s North Queensland Register, out Thursday.
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