A life of timber, axes and arrows

Forester Don Finnegan was one of the last of the New Zealand Forestry Service loggers to work the Pureora Forest west of Lake Taupo in the 70s.

His work at that time laid a vital foundation for conservation efforts this century when he returned to aid efforts to save the k o¯ kako.

Born in Castor Bay, Auckland, the young Don first started off as a builder but was soon packed off to the New Zealand Forest Service Woodsman Training School in the Kaingaroa Forest village south-east of Rotorua.

Long-term friend Warren Geraghty, who started work with Don, said the training scheme taught ‘‘the whole forest growing industry’’ from climbing trees to 20m to picking seed pine cones, and working in the nursery, planting, pruning, logging, and management.

‘‘During the 1970s we were still using axes to thin pine trees, so we actually saw the end of the history of that tool being used in the general forest work of tree feeling.’’

Don used the skills taught at Kaingaroa to become a competitive axeman, winning one of the sport’s highest honours, the Bill Shelford Memorial Trophy, and organising many chopping exhibitions at the Auckland A&P show.

In those days NZFS workers were posted around the country and the young Don was sent off as a Logging Officer Under Training (Lout) in the Rotorua region, where for a while he worked on weighbridges checking logging trucks. This brief stay near the town allowed him time to meet Christine, and they married in 1973 in Ohinemutu before moving to the

Instead Don insisted they build a Bailey bridge, which is still in use today.

‘‘He was very selective with the trees that were logged. You don’t see erosion there, he protected the stream banks.’’

Christine said that inspections of aerial photographs in the 70s of the forest block Don was in charge of could not detect where the trees had been extracted.

As well, Dianne said Don was convinced he had seen a single specimen of the extinct huia in the forest and also was able to tell Dianne where DoC workers could expect to find a stand of the endangered wood rose (Dactylanthus taylorii).

After Pureora Don and Christine took on a two-year bilateral aid stint on the Samoan island of Savai’i paid for by the NZ High Commission.

He spent the time teaching locals how to use and maintain chainsaws.

The NZFS was undergoing extensive change when the Finnegans returned in the early 80s and Don left the service to take up a position with joinery and timber merchants Henderson and Pollard where he was made second in charge of the company’s Topini Forest north of Wellsford.

Thereafter he held a similar position with Carter Holt Harvey at the Whitford Forest before a posting to Willow Flatpine plantation in Hawke’s Bay.

Used to machinery and a lover of anything with a large engine, Don joined South African-based logging machinery company Bell Equipment.

Over the years Don became an acknowledged expert in forestry machinery and was a strong advocate