Wired Wairarapa

TOM McCALLUM AT NZ CLUB NATIONALS, HOKITIKA, APRIL 2022. Sharing knowledge and cycling fervour

Tom McCallum is a talented cyclist, an elite NZ representative athlete, and a successful Youtuber.

At just 22, he has added business owner to his impressive credential list. The former Rathkeale College student opened Cycling Tom Bike Shop in August 2021, replacing Happy Valley Cycles. “It was a scary time to go into business and I thank family for their unswerving support.” The prime corner site in the heart of Masterton’s CBD is ideal to promote cycling in all its forms. The store has undergone a re-vamp. There’s a welcoming coffee machine, a large screen displaying cycle race coverage, and Tom’s custom bikes and framed NZ jersey is on display. It’s a great cycling vibe. Tom is enjoying the availability of bicycles (including e-bikes) post covid and he enjoys being able to satisfy customers’ needs. E bikes are increasingly popular. “They’re great for people who haven’t been that confident on a bike, or for older people who want to get back into cycling. If you’re struggling, you can just turn on the motor, and off you go.” Specialist road bikes are ones he likes to track down and custom-build for discerning customers. Supporting this venture is experienced bicycle mechanic Paul Clark, who can be found in the front-of-house workshop, alongside Josh van Woerkom, a fellow cyclist, who oversees goods and sales. They are a highly proficient team in all thingscycling. Tom is a former member of the Cycling New Zealand junior development squad and has done many grueling road races. He and Mark Langland are Wairarapa cyclists in Couplands/ Booth’s Group Cycling Team. The store is named after Tom’s YouTube channel, CyclingTom, which started as a teenage hobby, and has become a cycling sensation, amassing around 20,000 subscribers and over four million views. Content includes product reviews, tutorials on building and maintaining different bicycles, and vlogs from cycling trips. “I’ve spent a lot of time building my personal brand as a Youtuber - and it’s very cool to bring that into retail,” says Tom. “It’s so satisfying to see people discover how awesome cycling is. It’s such a great form of exercise, it’s low impact, you are outside exploring new places, and it’s fun.” Tom is aiming to help others nurture their cycling passion by establishing a junior development team for 17-19-year-olds who race under the CyclingTom name and get exposed to the world of cycling.

P

BIKES/HELMETS/LIGHTS TUBES/TYRES/PUMPS

DAVY GARLAND.

Specialists in Forest Harvesting, Timber and Firewood

It’s the ideal team. Davy Garland is the ‘ideas man’ who, with his team, gets things done in the field and in the yard at Log Works Limited, while his partner, Sally Newcombe is the Chartered Accountant, who supports the operation from behind the scenes. Davy is a second-generation sawmiller. Originally from Gisborne, Davy established Log Works 10 years ago after studying Forestry at university. He has worked extensively in forestry, sawmilling, earthworks, and firewood ever since.

Sally and Davy are based in Carterton. It is rewarding and efficient to run the entire process from standing tree to end product. Someone can buy decking timber from Log Works and know exactly where the trees were growing. At the yard, logs are sawn into timber which is graded as Landscape (planter boxes/raised gardens/edging); Framing (construction, fencing, panelling, tongue & groove, decking, or as Clears (joinery and furniture). It’s a real skill to saw a log into its best grade and a challenge that Davy thoroughly enjoys. Leftovers from sawmilling are split into firewood using modern equipment. Nothing goes to waste, not even the sawdust! Macrocarpa and Radiata Pine are their usual timber of choice for sawmilling, but they are also interested in other species like Douglas Fir, Eucalyptus, and Redwood.

As well as harvesting trees to supply their own sawmill and firewood operation, Log Works also harvests, trucks, and exports logs through the Wellington Port. Davy has mechanised his entire operation so that his small team can achieve large volumes, safely and easily. Manual chainsawing is a thing of the past for Log Works. Trees are felled using a 50-tonne excavator with a fixed felling head. Firewood is cut ‘creating pieces of uniform length that customers love. Log Works employees come from a variety of backgrounds. Mike Barber is Davy’s highly valued 2IC and joined the team looking for a new direction from dairy farming. Chris Vaughn is a former teacher. Michelle Laurant is the delivery driver and former nurse, quarantine officer and comms person.

FOREST HARVESTING & TREE REMOVAL

Davy Garland and Sally Newcombe of Log Works Limited bring a professional approach to forestry, sawn timber and rewood.

They are looking for forests and woodlots to harvest, of any size and with any access. They also carry out tree removal work with their 48 ton tree felling machine.

Davy’s experience and skill, along with modern equipment and great people, provides pro table returns for landowners. As well as Pinus Radiata, they are also interested in alternative species like Macrocarpa and Redwood for their sawmill and rewood yard.