LAUGHTER, cheers and shouts of encouragement rang out two Sundays ago at Yarrowkabra front, as onlookers cheered teams taking part in a novel lumberjack competition.
Lumberjacks are unique people skilled in handling saws and cutting wood.

A huge section of land was cleared in front of the Ramdass sawmill located near to the Yarrowkabra Village sign where the contest took place as part of Independence weekend celebrations.
Residents and visitors walked or pulled onto the site in their cars, mini-buses and 4-runners to enjoy the fun, while dirt bikes’ scrambled over a nearby course, their riders showing off the skill and ability needed to handle the machines; teens enjoyed the thrill of driving ATVs over a prepared circuit.

Younger children jumped and bounced on a trampoline while their parents and older folks looked on, headed for the food stands, bar or simply strolled around the ground chatting and enjoying the music played by an enthusiastic deejay.
The event was organised by two enterprising young men, Artlaine Mentor (Busmout) and Akim Jordan, ably assisted by Sanjay at Ramdass sawmill, who cleared and levelled the land and provided the logs used in the competition.

He also designed and arranged the area where the ‘battle’ took place, positioning the logs in designated lanes, separated by yellow caution tape.
By the early evening, when the lumberjacks were set to start, a crowd had gathered, chatting animatedly about the skill necessary to handle the two saws, which would be used by each two-man team. They were also eager to give vocal support to the sawmen they favoured.

The teams had to work against the clock – one man on a chainsaw who had to turn a log into an 8″x8″ square and another man on a bow (hand) saw who was required to saw through a log and then chop it up. It was indeed a team effort because the man on the power saw usually finished first and rushed to help his partner on the bow saw

The winning team from Ganchan Mahase lumber yard was presented with a saw, donated by Shazim Ali at Farfan and Mendes, who also supplied the saws used in the event. Businessman, Shane D’Andrade, who resides at Yarrowkabra and runs ‘Savannah Tours’, made the ATVs and scrambler bikes available for a small fee.

A great supporter of local activities, D’Andrade said he wanted to give the community “a boost” and the youths an opportunity to experience the ATVs and ‘dirt’ bikes.
The event. which the organisers plan to hold annually, was run over two days, with festivities continuing on the holiday Monday.