WHEN you think of alternative therapies that assist with rehabilitation the last thing you would think of is woodchopping, but 43-year-old Tea Gardens resident Kenny Harris swears that this sport has played a major part in his road to recovery.
Kenny was involved in a horrific logging accident 17 years ago, which left him with a broken back and damaged shoulder.
"I got hit with a limb that fell down on top of me. It broke my back and busted all the nerve centre in my shoulder.
"I was left with limited use of my right arm," he said.
However Kenny refused to let his injuries prevent him from doing the things he loved, so when his younger brother Bruce took up woodchopping around five years ago Kenny was instantly engrossed in the sport.
"My dad was a woodchopper, so it sort of runs in the family, and when Bruce started cutting I travelled with him to different competitions all over the place.
"I just thought that one day, even if I never get to cut a block in half, I'd love to have a go, because it would have to be better then just sitting here watching, and that's how it all started."
Kenny said the physical training has been extremely beneficial.
"Although it was a long, slow process, breaking through pain barriers and all the rest of it, my body has really thanked me for it and I am a lot better person now," he said.
"I believe that cutting has helped to stabilise my back and I'm so much stronger now, so its been really good therapy.
"All days are bad days, but they are a lot better than what they used to be," he said.
Kenny first moved to Tea Gardens when he was seven years old, and after travelling and working around Australia for about 20 years he moved back to his hometown with his son in 1999.
Although Kenny has only been cutting for around four years, he has already collected an impressive amount of ribbons and trophies for his talent in the sport, although he is quite modest when asked about it.
"Yeah I suppose I've got a few ribbons - 70 or 80 or something like that and a few trophies."
I'd say that's quite an achievement for someone who suffered a broken back and busted shoulder that has only been woodchopping for four years!
Kenny now organises the woodchopping event at the Myall River Festival, to be held on Saturday, October 28 along the Tea Gardens waterfront.
His involvement in the festival began when he was spotted by event organisers riding his bike along Myall Street (whilst in training) wearing a jacket with NSW Axeman's Association written on the back.
He was pulled aside and asked if he would be interested in organising a woodchop for the Myall River Festival.
"Around 20 years ago Tea Gardens hosted the annual 'Myall Prawn Festival' and they used to showcase woodchopping way back then, which my dad competed in," Kenny said.
This will be the third year that the woodchopping event has been part of the Myall River Festival.
It attracted 27 woodchoppers the first year and 22 the second year, which Kenny said is a good turnout.
"The competitors come from all over the state - North Coast, Central Coast, Metropolitan Sydney, Mid West and the South Coast," he said.
The prize money for this event is $150 for first prize, $60 for second and $40 for third, but Kenny explained that no one really competes for the money; they do it for the love of the sport.
Kenny's younger brother Bruce and his teenage nephew Pat will also be competing at the Myall River Festival.
The events include:
z two underhand handicaps - a 12-inch underhand and a 13-inch underhand,
z two standing blocks - a 12-inch and a 10-inch and
z the championship - the top eight handicap axemen on the day cutting off the same mark. They will go off three, which will determine the best axemen on the ground on the day.
There will also be a junior's chopping block event.
Be sure not to miss out on seeing these fantastic events, as well as much more, at the Myall River Festival on Saturday, October 28 along the Tea Gardens waterfront.
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