The Lumberjack Lore podcast...

George Houde. Journalist.

Getting kicked out of High School didn't do George any harm. Years later it gave him the resilience to survive a near death experience in Papua New Guinea and the courage of character to give endurance ski racing and triathlon a go. Stints as an instructor in both skiing and martial arts coincided with developing the traits of courage and tenacity that enabled him to play rugby, where alongside blossoming friendships and a distinguished career in journalism he developed a deep appreciation for the traits of hard work and never quitting. In this episode of the Lumberjack Lore Podcast it was my privilege to host George and have him share his version of what wisdom, knowledge and traditions he's come to appreciate within that chosen profession.  Very candid, this was a great discussion about honesty, integrity, trust, honor and discipline. The vital importance of education and sticking to the tenets of listening first, asking questions later, persevering and being able to identify and have gratitude for your gifts and creativity. George has navigated a large chunk of the evolution of the industry and was not shy about sharing his thoughts on the challenges facing modern journalism and his advice for those aspiring to a career as a journalist.

Episode 6. Craig (Crunchie) Donaldson

Craig Donaldson taught me how to cut down my first tree at the age of around ten, and so to a degree he (among other characters) was spoken  of  already in episode 1 and 2 of the Lumberjack Lore podcast as I introduced what I want the podcast to be.  During my lifetime I have watched Craig achieve some incredible feats of endurance as an ultra cyclist but also as a first class rugby player, lumberjack and within his career as an Engineer.  Frank and honest, in this episode we're fortunate to hear about his commitment to lifelong learning from these entities of effort and about how he came to his understanding of what wisdom, knowledge and tradition he has gained from a lifetime of standing up to hard challenges and choices.  Philosophical and metaphorical, with his ability to share real life stories about some of the dark places your body and mind go to in times of extreme duress Craig also touches on coping with a DNF (did not finish), the importance of choosing your support team well and the value of commitment, effort, respect, visualization and self belief.  Full of anecdotes, I enjoyed this episode as an example of humility and gratitude for Craig having unassumingly lived a life less ordinary and I thank him very much for sharing that with us.

Veteran TV3 Rugby commentator and sports broadcaster Hamish McKay

If you're a budding journalist, rugby fan, farmer, or someone who wants to listen to some valuable life lessons and stories centered around mentorship, hard work and what it takes to take a dream as a young person and turn it into a profession as an adult, then Hamish McKay shares some of the  hard earnt wisdom knowledge and traditions that he built up in the trenches and on the front lines of the Everest of the rugby commentating game with some of the the greatest teams and in the most famous rugby stadiums in the World. From a small farming community in the lower north island of New Zealand Hamish shares some of the highs and lows of an illustrious television commentating career that saw him call in two rugby world cups, including lead on one World Cup rugby final. He takes us behind the scenes and shares some fabulous advice not only for young journalists, but advice that we can all relate to in terms of (upon reflection) adding value and having appreciation and gratitude for a life well-lived.  As host of the radio show Rural Exchange, Hamish now travels the length and breadth of New Zealand interacting with the people that are described by Hamish as being "the backbone of the country". He's also an MC and puts his talent to good use these days by hosting charity auctions. His message is one of hard work, initiative, practice, practice, practice and from my perspective a lot of reflection, iteration, reinvention and appreciation.  He's served his time, paid his dues, dedicated himself to a dream, become a craftsman and been one of the few people I've met who said he was going to be something and then went and proved it.

Episode 4. Graham (Bushy) Muir

"Bushy" has compiled an impressive resume of finishing endurance cycling events, including multi-day icons such as Iditarod and Fatpusuit. Originally from New Zealand, Graham now operates an Athletic Training Center out of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Manic Training. In this episode he shares some of the wisdom, knowledge and tradition he has accumulated from over ten years of taking on the challenges this once obscure and extreme sport exposes its competitors to, coloring it with stories and anecdotes from his many years of travel while playing and coaching around the World in the sport of Rugby. Out of all of the things one might think it is necessary to have, apart from a unique set of skills to cope with extremes of cold, distance, sleep deprivation and loneliness, what really shines out from this conversation is how much gratitude he has for his life, family and his friends. His Iditarod finish describes a journey by Bike through 1000 miles of the Alaskan wilderness is not an achievement many can boast. Bushy describes in detail how there can be nothing left to chance and that while a highlight, it's simply a line in a book that he's continuing to write on a daily basis by living his mantra "don't waste a day"! To see a sample of what Graham has coming up next https://www.rebeccasprivateidaho.com To follow Graham on instagram graham.bush.muir For the MLab podcast https://www.themaniclab.com And for the Manic Athlete Training Center https://www.manicathletic.com

Cam the Auctioneer

Cam travels to the edges of civilization and onto some of the most remote Farms that roost in the hinterland bordering the wild forests, mountains and the Coast of New Zealand. He loves the rural lifestyle and its people, and in this episode of Lumberjack Lore, as its first guest, he really gets to the heart of what I want the Lumberjack Lore Podcast to be. Lore, in this spelling is defined as a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth and so it was wonderful to host Cam on the show and have a nuanced conversation with him about how he became a Livestock Auctioneer for one  of New Zealand's  largest Rural Companies. In his travels he gets to see some of the most beautiful rural scenes its possible to see in one of the most scenic Countries in the World and not only does gratitude shine through but in listening to him share his story so to does a passion for his chosen profession and the shear hard work he's put in to progressing from an office junior out of High School to channelling into his niche craft as an Auctioneer. There are perfect metaphors from his story that describe principals which transcend career genre, sport and high performance as well as some hard won nuggets of advice that we can all either relate to and/ or learn from. One of my favorites being that "talent is hard work in disguise". Having known Cam for most of my life it was wonderful to have on the episode and to understand that his talent has come from graft on his craft. Congratulations, best wishes and thank you for sharing your stories of wisdom, knowledge and tradition. If you want to follow Cam, and or get a hold of him for a chat and to have a look at some absolutely stunning photo's from rural New Zealand, hit him up on facebook at Cam Heggie.