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Old IdentitiesGEOFF HOCQUARD - CHOPPING
Geoff Hocquard was the youngest son of the Hocquard family living in a remote part of the Marlborough Sounds. After leaving boarding school at the age of 14 he worked on his parent’s farm, his first glimpse of chopping was at the Hopai Sports in 1945, where he had missed the chopping demonstration by one of the Mills Brothers because he was out competing in the boat races. He returned to see the chopped log and thought “this is a sport I could do by myself“. Geoff was rugby mad but from the Sounds it took all day to get to a match and all night to return. The following year at the Hopai Sports another demonstration was put on by Morrie and Mick Andrews and another chopper which created a lot of interest at the Sports Day and the committee decided to add it to their program for the following year. Geoff returned home and ground up one of the 4 ˝ pound Kelly Axes that they used for cutting scrub and firewood then went out and felled a Kohi - Kohi tree and cut it up underhand. He competed in the 1947 Hopai Sports Chopping with some success then competed at the Havelock Chops and got 3rd in the Maiden. Emerson Mason ground a 5LB Kelly for Geoff which he had tried to sharpen himself, he hollow ground it for soft wood on a sandstone, a perfect job according to Geoff. He still has the axe in original condition. The following year at Havelock Geoff won the maiden and the 12inch standing and was 3rd in the 14inch standing (Gordon Harvey was the winner taking a 20 pound 1st prize). That was how it started for Geoff and there is a huge amount of chopping (and good chopping stories) in between the following highlights of his career.
Early50’s Winning his 1st 14inch Standing Championship (Nelson/Marlborough)
1960 Selected for the 1st New Zealand Team to Compete against Australia for the Hallstrom Cup (NZ won by Ľ Block)
1967 Runner up in Both 15 inch Standing (won by Ronny Sheriff) and 15inch Underhand (won by Lessie Caldwell) World Title in Sydney
1969 Won ‘The Double’ at Sydney - 15inch Underhand World Title and 15inch Standing World Title
1969 Received The British Empire Medal from the Governor General (Dennis Blundell) for Services to Chopping.
1970 Selected as Captain of the World Team at the end of the World Series in Tasmania
1974 Defended Title in World Team(Capt) chopping against the Rest of the World (World Team won)
1978 Last NZ Team Geoff was in.
From 1960 to 1978 Geoff missed only a few years in the NZ Team, in 1965 He and his family moved from the Sounds to Blenheim and in the early seventies a work accident caused the loss of sight in one eye. He competed in handicap events in following years in Australia and New Zealand and was often coaching, managing, and organising teams and events until his poor health made this impossible. Apart from his many trips to Australia and Tasmania he also travelled to Canada for Expo 67 visiting the USA and Russia on the return trip and Japan for Expo 70. Geoff received several awards from the N.Z. Axemens Association, In 1962 he received a Merit award, in 62 67 and 69 he received The Warner Golden Award for New Zealand’s most outstanding axeman and in 2002 he received a Service Award. He has set 22 NZ Records and still holds 3 Chopping and 10 Sawing records.
Geoff Hocquard
Halstrom Tropy Old IdentitiesDAVID LAMBERTON
Dave Lamberton, a prominent New Zealand sportsmen who achieved world wide recognition and cut his mark in the sport of Wood Chopping. Known as the “gentleman of the sport” a very modest man whom even today whilst going through his achievements talks very quietly about the sport he has been so passionate about. Dave still has a beautiful wide grin, and it grows with excitement, bringing back the old competitiveness when you mention his great Championship rivals like Sonny Bolstad, Les Gilsenan and Geoff Hocquard to name but a few.
Dave set over 70 New Zealand titles, two World Records, World Championships and broke many unofficial World Records.
Dave stopped chopping internationally in the mid seventies because of a back injury. Throughout the eighties he developed an excellent golf swing, and still competed in the occasional chopping event. He has competed in veteran chops well into the nineties. I remember approximately 1992 both Dave and my husband (David Lamberton Junior) at the Golden Axe in Tokoroa. It may have been the Local Chop, the two Lamberton’s father and son competing against each other. My husband beat his father, and won the points Trophy. Dad was so proud of his boy, and the papers headed the win with “A Chip off the old Block”. David Lamberton junior recalls being told that in 1966 Dave was nominated as a contender for New Zealands Sportsman of the year. He went to a dinner in Auckland with class athletes such as Peter Snell, Murray Halberg, and Olympian Gold Medalists. Dave was speechless when he won. He tells me this was one of his proudest moments in the Sport He has competed in America, Canada, Japan and Australia. Another highlight was competing in Napier 1958 and shaking hands with the Queen mother. Chopping paid for a lot of family together time, holidays and spending money, won whilst traveling around the country, including a 3 week tour in the South Island. Competing in Canada he not only brought back enough prize money to purchase a brand new car, but also helped introduce Axe Throwing to the chopping events. He has been described as the best all round chopper in the World, and 10 years after reaching the top, he was still there. David Andrew Lamberton - Born 7 April 1935 Blaketown, New Zealand. - 1952 Nelson Forestry Training School, at age 16 won 50lbs in his first competitive chop. - 1958 Waiouru Military Camp - Lance-Corporal won silver medal Duke of Edinburgh Competition. - 1958 – 1959 Rugby Representative Hawke’s Bay (position) loose forward - 1961 Selected to represent New Zealand, truly a proud moment going to the Royal Sydney show for the first time as a member of the N Z Team. He won his first New Zealand Championship in 1961 and won every Championship from 10” to 18” in both std and u/h over the next 7 years. -1966 - 1974 Captain New Zealand Axemans Team eight years running, leading the team to success. - 1966 New Zealand’s Sportsman of the year. - 1967 World record set at 29 secs for the 13” Standing Block in Tokoroa in the final at the New Zealand Team Trials. World Record 14” Standing at Reporoa in 1967, beating the previous record by 2.5 secs @ 22.5 secs. Vancouver Canada he was reported as the Virtual World Champion at the 1967 Expo Carnival named the most successful axemen at the Carnival winning over 5000 pounds, and a two ft high trophy, he was also Captain of the New Zealand Team. - 1968 David Lamberton and Sonny Bolstad recorded 18.1 secs in a 20” double handed event, World Championship at the Royal SydneyShow - 1969 Tauranga Games 13” Underhand hardwood world record. With three stop watches in attendance this was an official World record. 23.5 secs from Geoff Hocquard. 1970 Led New Zealand at the Expo in Japan 1971 Tokoroa’s 1st ever winner of the Tokoroa Sportsman’s of the Year. Waikato’s Sportsman of the year. At Kinleith set two New Zealand records – 11” standing, and the 11” poplar chop. At Otautau he broke the New Zealand record for the 13” standing by 2 sec. - 1972 Led New Zealand Team at the Los Angeles Vacation and Travel Show. - 1979 World Title 15” standing, at Stanmore Bay in Auckland, The Right Honorable Rob Muldoon was watching Dave take the title from Sonny Bolstad, his sawing partner and competitive rival. - 1982 Winner of The Taupo shows Jigger Championship. - 1983 The International Warner Awards were announced, honoring Dave with a Golden Award for the years 1965, 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971 and a Merit Award for the year 1964. -1985 - 1987 President of the New Zealand Axemans Association
The 1976 Sporting Records of New Zealand holds numerous New Zealand Records for David Lamberton. Many of which are still held today.
Dave Lamberton, New Zealand Team
Dave Lamberton, New Zealand Team Dave Lamberton, at the time the holder of 10 National Titles in 1967 pictured winning one of the three major chopping events at Mamaku Sports.
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