Having spent his working life living and working in the forestry and logging industries in remote locations, forestry pioneer, Ross Lockyer, is back with an excerpt from his second book (of five), Cannibals, Crocodiles and Cassowaries about his time in pre-independence Papua New Guinea (1967-73). This excerpt is set in 1967.

Here’s a taste: 

“The crew would repeat the procedure for each auger hole, back-fill all the holes with clay, and tamp them all down tight. That left three to eight lengths of safety fuse sticking out from around the stump. Two of the crew then trotted off in opposite directions to warn anyone in the area (such as the roading crew or any wandering natives who might simply appear out of the jungle) that we were going to make a big bang and that there would be dirt and chunks of wood flying about in all directions. We also moved all our gear well away from the stump and out of harm’s way. 

“Once we were satisfied that all was clear, members of the crew each took one or two fuse ends, lit a clump of about half a dozen matches, and on the word from me, lit all the fuses at the same time. When all fuses were fizzing away, we shouted out a final warning to the world at large and took to our heels to get as far away from the action as possible.

“That thundering whoooomp, and the sight of a huge cloud of dirt and smoke and bits of stump heading skywards was always a satisfying spectacle and indicated another job well done. I loved blowing things up!” 

To read more, get your copy of the July 2023 edition of NZ Logger magazine, on sale from 3 July. Check the link on this page to subscribe to either a printed or digital copy (or both).