THE Burdekin’s rich cane history will be fondly revisited on Saturday May 30 at the Home Hill Showgrounds with the Wilmar Hand Cane Cutting Championships taking place.
The event which is a favourite on the Burdekin social calendar will be welcomed back after the 2014 competition had to be cancelled after the crop was flattened and deemed unusable after Tropical Cyclone Ita paid a visit.
Event coordinator Tonia Rossato said the Burdekin Tourism Association's Doug Chappell has been hard at work getting the new crop ready for the competition.
“As well as a great day out for the family, the Championships are also a way for members of the Burdekin community to celebrate our heritage,” Mrs Rossato said.
“It’ll be especially educational for the younger crowd, who might not know that before they advent of harvesting machinery, all the work was done by hand with a blade,” she said.
“It is a real art form being able to slash the cane cleanly and efficiently while getting as close to the stump as possible, as this is how competitors will be judged.
“The judges will be taking into account main how close the cane is cut to the ground and how neatly it is laid on the ground. If there is too much stump left over after cutting it, points get deducted and the same applies to the laying of the cane.”
The Championships will be split into separate categories for Under-35’s, the 35-55 age bracket, and an over-55 section.
The eight best overall cutters on the day will then go head to head in the Wilmar Sugar Australian Hand Cane-Cutting Championships Final with $1000 on the line for the winner.
“After the final we’ll also be holding a cut, top and load relay which is a four-man team event, and all events will include prize money to varying amounts as well.”
In addition to the other events the Kevin Swindley Memorial Cup event will also take place which will only be open to local cutters.
“We’ve been holding the Memorial Cup event in Kevin’s honour for four years now and it’s possibly the most hotly contested event on the program.
“Kevin was well-known and much-loved local involved in cane industry for long time so it’s great to be able to commemorate him in this way.”
She said a market day has been organised to coincide with the championships, food will be available, the bar will be open and free entertainment will be available for the kids.
“It’s a great family day out, and it’s a real eye-opener seeing first-hand how cane was cut in the past, it’s a little piece of North Queensland that needs to be kept alive.