Shropshire tree feller Landy Lawley is still sawing strong
[gallery] Ninety-one-year-old Shropshire tree feller Landy Lawley will be in action at the Shrewsbury Steam Rally next month. He talks to Toby Neal.
Landy Lawley recalls cutting down a beautiful but unsafe sycamore tree when an indignant man approached and demanded he stopped work.
Landy carried on sawing. The gentleman asked which way the tree would fall and, when told, he said: "I'm going to stand in the way – and you'll cut it down over my dead body."
Unabashed, Landy carried on sawing. The tree lover stood his ground. After a while there was a big crack. Down came the tree – falling the other way.
"Well, well," said Landy. "I must have made a mistake."
Landy, who is now 91 years young and lives at Churchstoke, will be in sawing action once more at the Shrewsbury Steam Rally in August, an event at which he has been a familiar figure for many years, ever since he first exhibited his saw bench at the rally held at Bishop's Castle in 1970.
He will be giving a steam saw demonstration with his frame saw and rack saw at the event at Onslow Park, Shrewsbury, on August 25 and 26.
And while you might think he must surely be the oldest and longest serving member of the County of Salop Steam Engine Society, you would actually be wrong – because that title belongs to Joe Davies, who was born in 1922.
The working life of Joe Lawley began in 1936 when, as a 14-year-old, he worked on farms around Churchstoke and Craven Arms.
Then in 1938 he got a job operating a rack saw by hand for Sam Spencer of Craven Arms.
Later he was put to work tree felling. Joe's nickname Landy, incidentally, is derived from his middle name of Orlando, which is the name he went by to avoid confusion with his father, also called Joe.
He worked for Wynns in Newport, South Wales, before leaving in 1958 to start the Lawley Bros family business jointly with his brother Mark, at one stage employing 20 men, felling prime oak or sycamore which was delivered to timber merchants and haulage contractors.
During a varied career one of Landy's achievements was installing a 60 ton,16ft wide and 160ft long steel girder bridge over the River Severn in flood at Pool Quay, on the Earl of Powis' estate.
Chairman of the steam engine society, John Onions, said: "Like many other stalwarts in our society, Joe has made a significant and valuable contribution to our rallies and we thank him for his considerable support over more than half a century."
