The highlights, George Thomas McCauley, winning the 2 foot world chopping championship in Eltham, New Zealand on Boxing Day, 1911. In 1901, the Taranaki town of Eltham held the first ever World Championship Axemen’s Carnival and in subsequent years men from all over New Zealand, Australia and further afield flocked to the town each Boxing Day to participate in this event. It is understood that the carnival came about following a wager between Bert Sulzberger, an employee at the brickworks of my great grandfather (Henry James Ford), and Tom Reilly, an axeman from Stratford. The story goes that, in 1900, Bert bet Tom £5 that he could outchop him through a 2 foot block. A contest was arranged and this proved so popular that the Axemen’s Carnival was started the following year. In 1911, Charles Wilkinson organised Wanganui photographer, Charles F. Newham, to make a 1000 foot (300 metre) movie of the Carnival. This was shown at the Wilkinson Picture Hall two weeks later in January 1912.

Eltham Axeman’s Carnival 2011 VIDEO 10:33