AS a fourth-generation woodchopper and the son of a world champion axeman, it's fair to say Gary Hayden is a chip off the old block.
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"I reckon I was about five years old when I first started dragging around an axe with Dad," Mr Hayden said.
Gary's father, Daryl Hayden, 64, was the 1986 world champion woodchopper, and a world record holder in standing block.
Gary, 38, of Cooranbong, will lead the local hopes in the woodchopping events at the Morisset-Lake Macquarie Agricultural Show at Morisset Showground this weekend.
There's a reason why woodchopping is always a big drawcard, Gary said.
"Woodchopping is a heritage sport, and Australia's oldest sport, and a sport that everybody loves watching," he said.
While woodchopping might look to the untrained eye like a simple test of explosive power, there is more to it than that.
"There's an extreme amount of accuracy required, as well as timing, endurance and knowledge," Gary said.
"The world's best make it appear easy."
Speaking of the world's best, world cross-cut saw champions Steven Kirk, of Kurri Kurri, and Justin Beckett, of Paxton, are expected to compete at Morisset over the weekend.
Gary's association with timber is professional as well as sporting. He runs the Hayden Tree Service business from Cooranbong, and is the 13th generation of his family to work as a timber contractor.
Daryl Hayden, meanwhile, still competes in veterans woodchopping events, and is a ring steward at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.