Captain Karl Foreman relishes any opportunity he gets to “get on the saw and clear the head”, which made him a perfect candidate for a volunteer team carving up 60 tonnes of logs.
He was one of around 12 volunteers from the Nelson Axemen’s Club who sawed, peeled and wrapped two truck-and-trailer loads of logs donated by Tasman Pine Forests for the upcoming Nelson A & P Show’s woodchopping competition.
The former logger has been a police chaplain and Salvation Army officer in the region for the past three years, dealing with challenges in the community such as methamphetamine addiction. At the end of the year, he heads north to Rotorua, where he will continue helping vulnerable people find their identity and get support.
His own story reflects the people he now helps – growing up in foster care before ending up in a life of drugs and alcohol.
“I was out the gate with drugs and alcohol, and my life was a mess. I had an identity crisis, trying to work out who I was.
“Logging gave me a sense of belonging, but it got to the stage I had to ask for help, and I met a guy who saw potential in me. He led me to faith and helped me work through my addictions and became a mentor to me. I found acceptance, identity and self-worth.”
He began working with young gang members in a boxing gym because he wanted to share what he had found, and that led him to working for the Salvation Army.
“My heart is all about helping people find identity.”
That is also why he is excited about the methamphetamine harm reduction programme launched in Motueka earlier this year.
“It’s about bringing community awareness also. We live in a blessed area here and meth is very under the radar, but it’s there. When the economy is tougher, meth is always on the rise.
“The biggest thing is connection – people finding places of support.”
But during the weekend, it was all about starting up the chainsaw and sawing some logs amid the roar of machines, readying blocks for woodchoppers with their axes.
