New Year Honours: Axeman chopping hard and fast at 72

By Yvonne Tahana           Photo / Alan Gibson

Cliff Hughes                                                      

Member of the NZ Order of Merit

Cliff Hughes hates watching woodchopping competitions when the logs are too slim.

 

"It's a manly sport, and they should be cutting big-sized logs," he says. "A good axe can go through a nine-inch [23cm] log in eight hits. It's like being knocked out in the first round; punters don't get to see anything."

 

In possibly the quirkiest citation for the New Year Honours, Mr Hughes has been made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to woodchopping.

 

The 72-year-old has been competing and running the sport nationally for almost 60 years and this year took part in a three-test series against Australia in the over 70s section.

But he gets annoyed when watching a show where logs are 23cm in diameter - much thinner than a reasonable 30cm or 40cm, he says.

"It belittles the sport."

 

And Mr Hughes is a man who knows his sport. He developed a national championship, introduced electronic judging and was responsible for turning woodchopping into a televised sport during the 1980s. His long service includes running the chopping show at the Auckland Easter Show for 44 years, setting up the Auckland Axeman's Club, the New Zealand Axeman's Association and the Putaruru Timber Museum.

 

He has a huge collection of national and international trophies and in 1962 he won the world title.

It is a passion that runs in the family. One of Mr Hughes' sons, John, now works for ESPN as an announcer for the woodchopping circuit in America.

 

And Mr Hughes, who lives in Mt Maunganui, has no plans to hang up his axe just yet.

Age hasn't slowed him up, he says, he just has to be a little careful about not pushing too hard.

"You've got to look after yourself.

"The biggest thing is getting the air into the lungs. I've got a bike I race around, I go up Mt Maunganui regularly. I'm as fit as a fiddle and feel good to go."

 

Since his retirement, Mr Hughes has been teaching woodchopping to what he hopes will be the next generation - youngsters at Mt Maunganui High School. He said more young people were entering agricultural shows, which was good for the future.

 

He's rapt to get the award. "We have the best axemen in the world and they've been the best for 10 years, so to be recognised is quite special for the sport."

 

Well Done Cliff.