Canberra’s woodchopping association – the Hall and District Axemen’s Club – is rebranding to Capital Country Woodchopping.

“We didn’t want to be exclusively a Canberra association and we deliberately left any gender-specific wording out in the new name,” says president Cheyanne Girvan, 32.

“We also went a different [way] to other associations under NSW by not including ‘association’ in our name.”

Four years ago the Hall and District Axemen’s club’s membership was 25.

Cheyanne says this name change will give the club the versatility to grow into other areas and on to greater things.

Already within the organisation, nearly 50 per cent of its 43 members are female, with 75 per cent contributing to its executive team.

Woodchopping is believed to have begun in Tasmania in the 1870s, when two men competed to chop down a tree the quickest. It’s now one of Australia’s oldest sports.

Commonly seen at events such as the Canberra and Sydney Easter Shows, woodchopping has evolved into a sport across the globe.

“Woodchopping is a male-dominated sport but we pride ourselves on being inclusive and a safe, empowering environment,” says Cheyanne.

“It’s because of our values that we have such a diverse membership.”

Currently the association is the fastest growing club in Australia.

There are about 800 competitors nationally, something Cheyanne says can be non-inclusive sometimes.

“It’s really hard to join outside of being born into a woodchopping family,” she says.

“That’s something that we pride ourselves in is cutting down those barriers to get people involved in the sport.”

The club is home to first-generation woodchoppers, such as Cheyanne herself.

“I had a bit of a left-field journey into woodchopping,” she says.

“I started in 2011 when I first moved to Canberra for uni and I was really homesick.”

Accompanying her brother and his coach on regular woodchopping competitions, Cheyanne grew to question why there weren’t any girls participating.

Encouraged by her brother, who had been chopping for 18 months, Cheyanne became the first girl on the NSW Under 21s team after six months of competing.

One of four woodchoppers in Canberra, and the only female, Cheyanne was grateful when the Hall Axmen’s founder Shaun O’Connor created the club in 2016.

Starting small, the club has now exceeded all expectations, with Shaun moving up to become the NSW Axmen’s Association president.

Recently stepping into the role of club president, Cheyanne says: “It’s not just a sport for me.

“It’s a community of people that I know I can always count on for anything.

“We have a really, really good community and we all have a collective vision to keep woodchopping alive.”

Training once a week at the Hall showgrounds, Cheyanne says many of their female members are graduates of their Women in Woodchopping program.

Although the Australian Sports Commission doesn’t recognise woodchopping as a sport, Cheyanne says they’ve had lots of support from the ACT government and are recognised as an association, helping cover the cost of a training space.

Meg Keogh,49 one of the club’s members, says: “It is hard, and doing hard things, learning something new, it’s incredibly rewarding.

“It’s empowering as a female to be able to join a sport and know that I can keep going for many years to come.”

Kylie Gillam, 55, who has been chopping for more than three years with the association, says she can’t describe how much she loves it.

“There are few sports you can start at this age and be able to continue into what may be considered ‘old age’,” she says.

“Despite the wide range of ages and backgrounds, we all have a common interest and purpose and this has become my happy place.”

Cheyanne says woodchopping teaches members patience and appreciation.

“It’s the longest apprenticeship you’ll ever have,” she says.

Cheyanne says they’re on the lookout for the next generation of woodchoppers to join their team and keep woodchopping alive for generations to come.

The Capital Country Woodchoppers Association trains every Thursday and hosts regular come-and-try days for kids and adults. The association can be reached via Facebook or Instagram.