A scorching hot Saturday at the Home Hill Showgrounds provided authentic conditions for the past to be revisited during the Wilmar Australian Hand Cane-Cutting Championships.
Great support was shown by the local community and visitors from out-of-town who came to the annual event to celebrate the Burdekin’s rich cane industry history and to see first-hand how cane was cut before the advent of harvesting machinery.
Event coordinator for The Burdekin Tourism Association Inc, Tonia Rossato, said she was very pleased with the how the day unfolded.
“There was plenty to do and see, including stalls, displays, free jumping castle for the kids, food and drinks,” Mrs Rossato said.
“We also held a cane-stick relay again this year for kids and adults to compete in, which involves the participants to race holding sticks of cane around a track,” she said.
“But of course the main attraction is coming along to see competitors showcase their abilities cutting the cane.”
Events on the day included the mens Under-35, 35-55 years and Over-55 competition, the Cut, Top and Load team rounds for novice and ladies, and the Kevin Swindley Memorial Trophy (which is only open to local cutters).
Completing the course involves a competitor cutting four rows (two up, two back) of cane over a distance of 15 metres.
But it’s not only speed that wins the day with the judges adding time penalties based on how low to the base the cane is cut and how well laid the sticks are.
After penalties are incorporated the competitors with the top eight times progress to the grand final which sees the cutters having to complete four rows again over a distance of 25 metres (results below).
During the competition Brandon’s Lawrence Zumaran was giving the younger cutters some pointers pulled from the 77-year-old’s vast bank of knowledge on the subject.
Mr Zumaran used to spend long days in the cane, cutting by hand before machinery became the chief method.
“In the field we had to be very precise with how we cut, if you cut more than an inch from the ground you probably would have been fired,” he said.
Mr Zumaran won the Over-55s division, placed second in the Kevin Swindley Memorial, and qualified for the grand final.
Tony Felesina won the 35-55 years competition and said it was nice to win after he’d been runner-up a few times since he started competing at the championships six years ago.
“It’s a family tradition, I grew up watching dad cut cane by hand, it’s a real art form.”
It was a special day for Doug “Chippo” Chappell with sculptures by talented artist Farvardin Daliris in his and Gudjuda Reference Group member Eddie Smallwood likeness unveiled earlier in the week at the showgrounds.
As well as volunteering his time to the Burdekin Tourism Association Inc and acting as emcee during the event Mr Chappell is the man who carefully grows the cane crop over many months in preparation for the championships.
Results for the competition are as follows (Time is in minutes, seconds and tenths of a second):
Wilmar Sugar Hand-Cane Cutting Championships Final: Adam Gilbert 19.44.94, Tony Felesina 21.05.38, Enzo Codega 22.42.00, Frank Covolo 32.50.00, Keith Gilbert 34.14.00, Anthony Felesina 34.38.00, John Arrate 41.46.61 and Lawrence Zumaran DNF.
Mens Over-55s: Lawrence Zumaran 15.10.23, Enzo Codega 17.19.06, Frank Covolo 18.04.56, Anselmo Felesina 21.23.44, Paul Donnelly 29.33.95 and Olivio Pozzebon DNF.
Mens Under-35s: Keith Gilbert 15.31.44, Adam Gilbert 15.38.66, Luke Gilbert 19.43.00 and Scott Gilbert 19.56.66.
Mens 35-55s: Tony Felesina 16.05.18, John Arrate 16.06.00, Anthony Felesina 16.53.60, Stuart Gilbert 19.05.90, Karl Vaas 21.34.50 and John Guglielmi 30.36.00.
Novice Cup (one row to cut): Luke Handley 2.45.84, Luigina Tudehope 2.58.82 and Stuart Gilbert 3.52.40.
Ladies Cup (one row to cut): Roxanne Vaas, Nikki Vaas, Luigina Tudehope, Jasmine Knapton, Carla Keith, Tiffany Hunt, Tramayne Horan and Emma Swindley.
Kevin Swindley Memorial Trophy: John Arrate 11.14.28, Karl Vaas 11.43.63, Lawrence Zumaran 12.11.19, Tony Felesina 14.48.03 and Anthony Felisina 15.24.31.
Cut, Top and Load: Stuart, Adam, Luke and Scott Gilbert 17.06.35, Paul Donnelly, Enzo Codega, Tony Felesina and Anthony Felesina 27.15.34, John Gulielmi, Frank Covolo, Keith Gilbert and Paul Gilbert 27.23.46.