NEW BLOOD
At just 17, Tylar Taka is Skipps Logging’s youngest worker. He’s enjoying learning on the job.
AS THE YOUNGEST FOREST WORKER Skipps Logging has ever employed, Tylar Taka quickly proved his worth. Just 16 and in Year 12 when he was given the opportunity to work in the bush last year, he hasn’t looked back.
“I gave it a try and I like it,” he says. Now 17, he was recommended by his cousin, who also works at Skipps. “He was the only person I knew that was logging but the company has been really helpful and supportive, with both book work and practical work,” says Tylar.
Working on the ground, he’s currently harvesting logs, hooking them up for the landings. “Yes, it’s hard but it’s great exercise every day. I had only ever really heard about logging and seen videos of it. I never expected to join the industry. At first I found it challenging but I soon picked up on how things work.”
Boss, Mandie Skipps, echoes his thoughts. “As a breaker out you have to be physically fit and mentally tough as you are outdoors all day and for long hours. Tylar is not afraid to work hard, he asks questions, he has a positive attitude and a cheeky nature. Everyone in the crew respects him because of his work ethic.”
A healthy approach
Skipps Logging, which recently won Contractor of the Year, was formed in 2007 by Mandie and husband Tom, who began his own career in the bush 32 years ago working during the school holidays at just 15 years old. “That’s not even legal anymore,” laughs Mandie.
Tommy is a hands-on owner-operator who brings his experience and love for the bush to the job, and the company has a strong focus on its workers, she says.
“There is a need for looking after the current workforce and nurturing them, making sure they are looking after their health and wellbeing. Bush life is not for the faint-hearted or anyone wanting to take the easy road. It’s hard work in mostly hard conditions,” says Mandie.
Tylar, already an integral part of the team, is discovering this for himself. His day begins early with a toolbox meeting: “I get up around 4.30am to get ready as I live about an hour out. We discuss any hazards, what’s going to happen for the day and what to look out for… if we need to shut off any roads or anything. We gear up and make sure our equipment’s working and it’s all accurate. The machine operators head off to their machines and I head down the hill and get ready. I take my flag down with me to mark out the safe retreat distance. Yeah, then I start getting into working, hooking on logs,” he says, as if he’s been at it all his life.
He’s worked in rain, hail and shine, says Mandie, taking on the role “with a professionalism and seriousness well above his age”. “He has currently achieved his level 3 in Breaking out so he is doing a great job.”
Attracting new blood
She is quick to point out that too many people in the industry have left to do other things: “The industry has changed a lot so we need to attract new blood to grow the skill base back up to where it once was. Forestry is a very rewarding career with so many avenues you can go down.”
She adds that Year’s 12 and 13 in high school are where we should be promoting the industry and the various career opportunities: “There is perhaps a stigma that forestry is for school leavers who didn’t do well at school, are maybe a bit naughty and are looking for an easy industry to get into. But it’s quite the contrary. You need to be able to think on your feet, have a strong work ethic and be able to learn, because in order to maintain and develop in the bush you have to be assessed and trained and achieve units for task.”
She adds that most workers who come into the bush have a family member or friend who was a Bushman so they already have an affiliation: “The pay is good. Many people who go off to Uni for years to get a degree start in the workforce on what a trainee Bushman starts on.”
It’s about the people
Asked what keeps him in the bush, Tylar says the environment and the people: “They’re always good for a laugh, always smiling and happy. As to the challenges, as many loggers can relate, he says getting into the routine of the early start took some getting used to as well as the physical challenge of “always moving”.
The day we talk to him, he’s off work resting his shoulder… “Getting my muscles used to doing work like that. Muscles I haven’t really used.”
The rewards are there though. “I feel comfortable working around people,” says Tylar. “They’re always looking out for each other. It gives me reassurance.” And then, of course, there’s making it home safe every day, he says.
“I reckon it’s a good career choice. There’s a range of things you can do. Head to machinery or stay on the ground. You really won’t know until you give it a try. At the moment I really want to try do everything on the ground first. I want to learn how to chop a tree down and then I’ll probably look towards machinery. I’m lucky that I’ve got a good boss and crew to help me get through it and teach me the things I’m learning,” he adds.
Though his brothers were supportive, he says his parents were worried when he first started: “Now they’re still worried but they accept it and they feel a bit more comfortable now that they know what I’m doing.”
“The industry needs more young men like Tylar, we would like to clone him,” concludes Mandie.
“I really enjoy it,” he adds, “so I’ve stuck with it.”
NZL