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Back Roads Season 11 Episode 24
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00:30The ladies and gentlemen, they're setting the blocks up here now for the first final here at Henley.
00:36And what a great honour it is to have Lisa Miller all the way from Victoria over here.
00:43Axman, you're nearly on the starter's hand.
00:46You're ready for a start.
00:48One, two, three.
00:52Well, I can dream, can't I?
00:55This time on Backroads, I'm heading deep into wood chopping country.
01:00The small towns of northern Tasmania, like Penguin, Deloraine and Winkley, are the gateway to world famous attractions.
01:10Rugged mountains, pristine wilderness, remote beaches and incredible wildlife.
01:18But I'm not here for any of that.
01:23I'm here for just one thing.
01:27The chops.
01:29Per square inch, this area has probably produced more prize-winning Axemen and Women than anywhere else in the world.
01:37Oh, good cut there from Amanda Pease.
01:41Generations of locals, from legends to new faces, have stepped up to the block.
01:51I want to know what makes this place such a breeding ground for champions.
01:58And what the locals are doing to make sure this iconic sport survives.
02:03Oh, that is hard work.
02:05My arse hurts.
02:06This humble stump in the back blocks of La Trobe mightn't look like much, but if you read the plaque, you can see it actually marks something really important.
02:21In 1891, a huge crowd flocked to this spot for the very first wood chopping championship in the world.
02:32Fast forward 130 years, and I'm hoping to catch the same excitement just up the river at the Henley-on-Mercy Carnival.
02:43One of the oldest and most celebrated chops in Tassie's calendar.
02:50Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Henley, our first chop.
02:57We hope you have a fantastic day.
02:59And thank God we live in Australia, the greatest place in the world.
03:04And what better person to introduce me to the nuances of wood chopping than David Foster?
03:11We've got two state titles, we've got handicap events, we've got juniors, we've got ladies, third and fourth generations of wood choppers coming through the sport.
03:21David's widely regarded as the Don Bradman of chopping, the greatest axeman the world has ever seen.
03:28He savaged his log in less than 20 seconds.
03:31At his peak, he was 150 kilos of pure power and could carve through logs like butter.
03:38All told, David won a staggering 186 world titles.
03:47Including one that he held for 21 years running.
03:54Where did it all come from?
03:55Come from a family history, I suppose.
03:57Dad was a world champion, Dad's uncle was a world champion, Jim Foster back in the 1930s.
04:03Mum's brother was a world champion and mum's uncle was a world champion.
04:07Dad, when he was alive, he said, son, he said, I bred you to be a wood chopper.
04:11So we're the best bloodlines that anybody could have.
04:14He reckons if I was a horse or a cow, I'd be worth a fortune with stud fees.
04:19What do you think it is about Tasmania and the north of Tasmania that's created so many great wood choppers?
04:28Here, wood chopping is 150 years old and it comes from our ancestors clearing the countryside.
04:34Well, it all started high in the mountains of Tasmania.
04:37And here we come to the beginnings of a new Australian industry.
04:40They had to use an axe and a crosscut sword to clear the land, to build the buildings.
04:44So wood chopping is a part of our history and part of our heritage.
04:49Experts they are.
04:50Artists with an axe.
04:52When Europeans arrived in Tasmania, they began clearing forest for farmland.
04:58Right on the groove.
05:00Soon, demand for wood soared and the timber industry experienced a boom time that lasted a century.
05:09Unsurprisingly, wood chopping competitions popped up all over Australia and became a hit.
05:15Tasmanian bushman excelled at the chop.
05:19These days, with machines replacing axes and hand saws, and with far less timber available, the competitions have dwindled.
05:29But local families are committed to keeping the tradition alive.
05:33It's a kind of a sport, if your dad does it or your uncle does it, there's a chance that you will pick up an axe.
05:40But it is a great sort of a family sport.
05:42All these family names that are household names here in Tasmania.
05:47So, it's a part of the culture that we're in.
05:50One of those famous family names is Maine.
05:53It's from Bill Ewan on three to to Henry Maine on 24.
05:58Today, three generations of Maines are competing at Henley on Mersey.
06:03Including 67-year-old grandfather, Henry.
06:07Henry lives on the nearby northwest coast at Penguin.
06:21There's a lot that I've got on the go at the minute, either fixing or ready to go to competition.
06:34Now, that's an axe, Lisa.
06:36These are the ones I'm using in competition at the minute.
06:39And these boxes?
06:41Axes.
06:42Axes.
06:43Another lot here, a cupboard full of axes.
06:45No way.
06:47Taking care of all those axes is a big job.
06:51See how that's floating right off.
06:54And Henry's known to be something of an axe whisperer.
06:58During competition season, choppers from all over send him their racing axes for fine tuning.
07:05How do you know whether it's sharp enough?
07:07Well, you just touch that.
07:09Don't put your hand hard down on it.
07:10Just touch it.
07:12Oh, yeah.
07:12That's sharp.
07:13That's sharp.
07:14Yeah.
07:15And then you can actually go like this with her.
07:18You're cutting your hair.
07:22They look dangerous.
07:24Have you ever had any injuries?
07:25They can be dangerous.
07:27I've had a couple of accidents.
07:28I did two on the same place.
07:30What happened?
07:31I was cutting what they call the underhand chop and, unfortunately, cut my tail off.
07:37I cut it off once when I was about six years old through there and they sewed it back on.
07:42The second time I cut it off just behind the nail.
07:45It's not for the faint-hearted, this wood chopping.
07:48No.
07:49She's a rough game, but at least the cuts are clean.
07:52Very clean and easy to stitch up.
07:55It's a good thing Henry has an understanding family.
08:00They're about as mad for the chop as he is.
08:03I've got a son that's a really good wood chopper and I've got a grandson who's a really good wood chopper and I've got two granddaughters now that have just started into the sport and are loving it.
08:16I think it's great.
08:17I think it's great.
08:18It actually keeps the families together.
08:21Henry's father was an axeman and passed his knowledge on.
08:25He, in turn, trained his son Nigel and Nigel is now teaching his daughters.
08:31He recently surprised 15-year-old Layla by entering a Jack and Jill soaring competition with him.
08:38It was crazy, just the feel of a rush, adrenaline, like you felt it through your whole body, through your toes, through your legs and, like, I felt flushed almost and it was just the thought of, like, what I could do.
08:53Being fourth generation, it's a lot to live up to, but I'm still a beginner and now I'm starting Underhand.
09:04I'm learning how to get the technique right.
09:08In Underhand, competitors rain axe blows into a log they're standing on.
09:13That's the way.
09:14Good hit.
09:15To sever it as quickly as they can.
09:18That's a beautiful weed app.
09:20There's a lot more to wood chopping than I imagined.
09:23And with so many experts on hand, I thought I'd have a go myself.
09:27You'll come square in.
09:29So we can just try a nice short stroke to start off with.
09:32So you should be reaching a little bit for it.
09:33Okay, all right.
09:34Yep, back towards you, mate.
09:35Okay, I'll pull.
09:35Just let it glide across the wood.
09:39Yeah.
09:39Good job.
09:41Good.
09:42Just keep it nice there.
09:43Keep it going.
09:45Oh!
09:46Oh, my Lord.
09:48I'll take the saw for you.
09:49How was that?
09:51That is hard work.
09:53I am puffed and my arse hurts.
09:56For Layla's 18-year-old cousin, Bryce, the sport has been a refuge from tragedy.
10:07So, Bryce, how did you get into wood chopping?
10:10Because of dad.
10:11Bryce's dad, Kurt, died at the age of just 32.
10:15Kurt got diagnosed with cancer.
10:19Unfortunately, it only took six months and he passed away.
10:24Bryce was only seven at the time.
10:27And it took him a while to get to terms with it.
10:30Sort of took him under our wing and get him into wood chopping to try and take him away a bit from that.
10:37It makes me feel a bit better, wood chopping, because of dad.
10:40So, I thought I'd take it after him instead of doing silly things like I used to do.
10:46It brings him back to earth when he goes to the wood chopping.
10:50He doesn't realise how many friends there he's got in the wood chopping arena.
10:53It's not always about winning or getting money and all that.
10:56It's just about spending time with all the family and friends and helping each other out.
11:03His dad would be very proud of what he can do, because at the same stage in his life now,
11:09Bryce is probably a bit better than what his dad was, but anyway.
11:12Do you think your dad would be proud?
11:14Yeah, he would be proud.
11:15He'd be very proud.
11:18He'd be very, very proud.
11:36And ladies and gentlemen, position eight, our front marker, Bill Hude, 85 years of age.
11:41Household name, world champion, many times.
11:47Wood chopping takes strength and endurance, but I'm told timing and technique are just as important.
11:56Surprisingly, many choppers stay competitive into their 50s, and some continue well beyond.
12:03Australian Axeman's Hall of Fame legend, Bill Hude, has been living and chopping around Deloraine for most of his life.
12:27All right, we'll go and have a look at the chooks and see if they've laid any eggs.
12:32Hello, there's a couple here.
12:34Oh, excellent.
12:37Yeah, a couple of eggs, yeah.
12:39You want me to hang on to them?
12:41Yeah, great.
12:41Still sprightly in his mid-80s, Bill enjoys an enviably healthy lifestyle.
12:48I usually do a few little light exercises before I get out of bed in the morning to wake myself up.
12:53I'll do a few little stretches.
12:57I've got a little exercise ball and a few bench presses on my little old exercise bike.
13:08Bill was the youngest of seven boys.
13:11His father and several of his brothers were talented axemen.
13:14Well, wood chopping was a natural thing in those days because the ax and the crosscut saw was their living.
13:20That's what they used to make a living, you know, falling trees.
13:24The Hude family name is famous in competition circles.
13:28Three of Bill's brothers won world titles.
13:32That was quite a good chat on my part, I think.
13:34I was very pleased with it.
13:35And he soon followed in their footsteps.
13:38And young Billy, well, he's the up-and-coming champion.
13:40His favourite event was tree-felling.
13:42To see the best axeman in action in the final of the tree-climb championship,
13:47Billy Hude going up the second side.
13:49In which competitors balance on a series of planks
13:53to scale a four-metre tree with a razor-sharp axe.
13:58Billy and Ray Hude come from that famous family of Tasmanian axmen.
14:02The first to chop the block off the top wins.
14:07It's off.
14:08There we are.
14:09The St. Kelly champion of tree-felling, Billy Hude.
14:11In all, Bill won the world tree-felling championship nine times.
14:17What was your secret to winning all these trophies?
14:20There's a skill in wood chopping, of course, like in any sport.
14:24I think I was lucky enough to have a good style, you know.
14:28I was doing everything about right.
14:31And it's a skill Bill's happy to pass on.
14:34If I see someone doing the wrong thing, you know, they might be sort of stiff-handed or
14:38they might be having their head up in the air or standing wrong or something like that.
14:43I can't help myself when I'm putting them right.
14:46Well, that one's easy leaning back this way.
14:49So, he'll fall out through here, out through this gap, I reckon.
14:52Yeah, he looks all right.
14:53Bill tells me one of the axemen he mentored is Matthew Gurr.
14:57It's got all the weight on this side.
15:00Bill showed a young Matthew the ropes, and he's passed the legacy on to his son, Daniel.
15:07Yeah, he might even go between that one and that leany one there.
15:12This, I'm learning, is the way of the chop, and it creates dynasties of champions.
15:18Aim at that second guy one there.
15:20Try and hit that, yeah.
15:22Matthew's won 16 world tree-felling championships.
15:25Daniel now has four to his name, and he's reigning world champ.
15:37He has set back and lasted like you used to.
15:40Both of them work in the timber industry, and can train with trees on land that's been earmarked for clearing.
15:46Moving well, isn't he?
15:47I grew up watching Dad.
15:53Always wanted to do it, and he taught me how to do it.
15:57He's been exactly where I want to go, so it's been really good to have all the knowledge pretty much handed to me on the platter of what I need to do to be the best.
16:07Oh, that's pretty good for practice.
16:14Pretty good job.
16:15It took you 229.
16:17Yeah, that's not too bad.
16:20Daniel had an axe before he was two.
16:22By the time he was three, he'd train until he got blisters on his hands.
16:29Right in the middle.
16:30No, I'm just sweating.
16:32You're sweating.
16:33He had his first chop in the arena competitively when he was four and a half.
16:38By the time he was six, he could complete a tree-filling event in the backyard.
16:43Hit it hard.
16:45And he is our current world champion.
16:49From Deloraine, Tasmania, please welcome Daniel Goer.
16:52When you're at the shows, everybody's asking when the tree-filling's going to be on.
16:56There might be a risk factor to it, a little bit.
16:59You can see that it takes quite a bit of skill.
17:02Everybody loves the tree.
17:03It's definitely the feature event, that's for sure.
17:05You need to be fit.
17:06You need to be strong.
17:07You need to have great balance.
17:10You need great hand-eye coordination and a little bit of courage, I'd say.
17:17Daniel's cutting time was two minutes and five seconds.
17:22Between the three of you, there are 29 world titles in Sydney in tree-filling.
17:26If you were all at your peak right now, who'd win?
17:29Me.
17:29I have consistently the best winning times in Sydney, so you're hard to look past me, mate.
17:40There's a bit of competition here, Bill.
17:43Yes.
17:44Yes, that's right.
17:45But of course, things do improve over the years, don't they?
17:49Every generation.
17:50I expected fierce competition, but what surprised me is just how far the spirit of cooperation
17:57reaches in this sport.
17:59Tristan Van Beek and Caleb Graves have travelled all the way from the USA to marinate in Tasmania's
18:12wood-chopping culture.
18:13What do you think the reputation of Australians is when it comes to this sport overseas?
18:23At best.
18:24Yeah, I reckon that's the reputation, is being the best droppers.
18:27You know, the sport originated here in Tasmania, you know, it's been around here for a long
18:31time in all of Australia, and I think that there's just a lot more knowledge generationally
18:37than there is in the States.
18:38No, I don't think that's going to hold.
18:44So, I figured what better place to go than Tassie if you want to learn to be a tree feller.
18:50Tristan and Caleb are part of a growing number of international competitors, keen to learn
18:55from the best.
18:57Come in there and just push down with your back wrist.
18:59All right, I'll give it a try.
19:01Give it a try.
19:02All right.
19:03The unanimous word is that Matthew Gurr is, like, one of the best coaches on the planet.
19:09Yeah, it really is a blessing to come down here and learn from him.
19:13Well, I started off by watching Bill coach other guys and Bill coaching me, and then added
19:19a little bit to it and tried to improve on what he'd done.
19:22Don't push the handle, pull it.
19:23Feels good to help people.
19:24The sport is, you could say, dying a little bit.
19:27So, the knowledge that we've got, it's nice to pass that on and try and keep it going.
19:32That's better.
19:33Why is it important to you that the sport survives?
19:36I love wood chopping, and I want to see it continue, and I think it's culturally a significant
19:42part of Tasmanians heritage.
19:46Anyone who wants to get into wood chopping, we need to make sure that we help them out and
19:50pass on as much knowledge as we can.
19:52Well, thank you, Matthew.
19:57You want a hug?
19:58Yeah.
19:58Okay.
20:00Don't forget to put that in.
20:03He's a hugger.
20:05That was a next-level moment there.
20:10Wood chopping's traditionally been a man's world, but that's now changing.
20:15To find out more, I'm meeting with one of the pioneering women in the sport, Amanda Beams.
20:24Turns out, Amanda is about the busiest person in Tasmania.
20:29On top of running the family farm with her husband, Dale, Amanda runs the local supermarket
20:34and spends countless hours devoted to wood chopping.
20:39I'm the sort of girl that never really played with Barbies.
20:42I was, yeah, wanted to do things with my hands or have a crack at anything, really.
20:48Unload these.
20:49Oh, my God!
20:51If you can't lift it, Lisa, you can't cut it.
20:53That is heavy.
20:54Come on.
20:58Are you serious?
21:02Come on.
21:05Come on.
21:07Come on.
21:07Don't hurt yourself.
21:10It's not that bad, Lisa.
21:13Amanda came from a chopping family, but it's fair to say she wasn't initially enamoured with the chop.
21:20I was sitting there watching Dad and just thinking, how boring is this and being as bored as batshit, basically.
21:27But all that changed when she met a strapping young axeman named Dale Beams at the Adelaide show.
21:34When I met Dale, he was sawing, chopping, tree felling, he was doing everything.
21:40And he said to me, do you want to have a go at sawing?
21:43And I was like, yeah, I'd love to have a go.
21:46Love blossomed over the saw.
21:50And the rest, as they say, is history.
21:54Right on.
21:55You ready?
21:56When Amanda first took it up, the Jack and Jill was the only event women were allowed to compete in.
22:05Gradually, women have been invited to enter other events, including underhand.
22:10A couple of American women came to Sydney's show, and they'd entered all the underhand events.
22:16So they'd put themselves out there, and Dale and I were just standing on the fence, going, we could do that.
22:25Amanda has gone on to win three world championships in underhand, plus two Jack and Jill titles with Dale.
22:33How hard was it as a woman, breaking into the sport?
22:37I get asked that question quite a lot.
22:40It was pretty easy, to be honest.
22:42Lots of encouragement.
22:44Yeah, the guys are very welcoming of women.
22:48Dale holds eight world titles of his own.
22:51He and Amanda were both captains of the Australian wood chopping team.
22:55And after 33 years of marriage and chopping together, they're still as devoted as ever.
23:01He became such an important person in my life, and yeah, it just happened.
23:17And how much does wood chopping and what you do together mean to the two of you?
23:24Oh, probably more than we think, I suppose.
23:26It's certainly been a binding factor in our lives, and we've got a couple of kids, and
23:36they both do it, and it's, yeah, it's a very important part of our lives.
23:48I knew wood chopping was important to this community, but I had no idea just how deep the
23:55affection runs.
23:57Anything can happen in this race.
23:59The last little bit of a preparation has been done.
24:01Back at the big event, American Tristan Van Beek has battled his way into a semi-final for
24:08a state title.
24:10Competitors, stand in your arms.
24:12But he faces fierce competition from Tassie champion of champions, Cody Steers.
24:18I can't believe Tristan got so close to knocking off the champ.
24:36That man has improved so much.
24:40Looks like all that training with the Gers has paid off.
24:43Maybe new blood is exactly what the sport needs to stay strong.
24:49The ladies underhand, ladies and gentlemen.
24:51Young Layla Main is about to get her chance to realise a cherished dream.
24:56On position one, we have Amanda Beams.
24:59On position two, we have Bronte Main.
25:01On position three, we have Layla Main.
25:04We wish you all the very best, ladies.
25:06Amanda Beams, she has been like my biggest idol.
25:10Just thinking about competing against her makes me nervous.
25:14Then I just remember, just be yourself, do what you do, and I'll be alright.
25:19Stand to your lungs.
25:20Get ready.
25:22It's a handicap event.
25:24Amanda's record means she's giving away a very long start.
25:2812, 19, 19, 20, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 30.
25:41Ladies and gentlemen, how about putting your hands together for Amanda being 129 seconds behind.
25:47And how does it make you feel to see young women coming up?
25:51Very proud of all of them.
25:52And away goes Amanda.
25:53She's in the back.
25:55I was there once, and to see the girls out there having a go, you've got to encourage them and support them.
26:01Very close.
26:04Oh, good cut there from Amanda Beams.
26:07Good girl.
26:12Amanda Beams was first.
26:14Kelly Batchelor was second.
26:16Layla Main was third.
26:17Bronte Main was fourth.
26:19If I can have those four girls up here.
26:21Just keep chopping.
26:22You're doing great.
26:23Good job.
26:27Well, I might not have mastered the sport, but what I have learned while I've been here in the north of Tasmania
26:33is how tight-knit communities, together with strong families, can produce generations of wood-chopping champions.
26:43But maybe what's really important is that this strong wood-chopping culture has produced champion families and champion communities.
26:54We all love wood-chopping, so we need to make sure we work together to keep the sport going.
27:01It's a very big community once you get out there, and the future is looking very bright for wood-chopping.
27:07From wood-chopping country to the legendary Snowy River, we've been to some extraordinary places this season.
27:23We're already out filming on the back roads for our next series, and can't wait to share our adventures with you.
27:31We'll see you next time.
27:48We'll see you next time.
27:48Bye-bye.
28:06Bye-bye.
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