Cherry Pip Spitting at it's best!

MANJIMUP
December, 2014.

On Saturday the 13th it will be someone's lucky day. Lucky because no-one can tell in the spitting game - one spitter who spat 13 metres in a heat will choke and only manage 10 in the final.

It has happened. And this year will not feature the current Australasian Champion, New Zealand's Mike "Wide Mouth" Wardill. 

Not only will Mike stay home, he will keep his son, Bob "The Blaster", who was poised to pip the spit of his dad.

Over the ditch there are moves and shifts and changes and we can expect a contender to head to Manjimup for the 2015 season.

This year contenders will face the current Australian Champ, Manjimup's very own Adam "Atomic" Buckley. Adam has been hard at it all year to improve his technique and is disappointed that the "Wide Mouth" will not be challenging him on the 13th.

Once again thousand will flock to West Australia's food bowl in the Southern Forests and around 2000 will stand stunned in the main street of Manjimup and watch grown men and women spit their hearts out to win the Globe Vista trip of a life-time - a ticket to Queenstown, New Zealand, and a spit off against the "Wide Mouth" and his fast developing son, "The Blaster".

You looking for details?
Go here:
http://www.cherryfestival.com.au/

Home town advantage

Friday, 10 January 2014

Spitting titleholder's family has talent

Cromwell cherry stone spitter Mike Wardill successfully defended his national title on the weekend and it seems his family is set to follow in his footsteps.

With a winning spit of 12.09m, Mr Wardill smashed his previous record of 11.5m and outspat the Australasian champ Adam Buckley, of Manjimup, by just better than 2m.

Mr Buckley had beaten Mr Wardill at the Australasian championships held during the Manjimup Harmony Cherry Festival in Western Australia about three weeks ago and travelled to Cromwell to compete in the New Zealand competition on Saturday.

Mr Wardill's son Bob (13) had also travelled to Manjimup, winning the junior category there.
He repeated that win on Saturday with a spit of 8.91m while sister Anna (12) won the junior female category with a spit of 5.87m.

FULL STORY

Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival

The above is from the Weekend Australian.

Note the last line from a second generation cherry grower.

He knows his fruit.

  

What this means is, the cherries you buy in winter, those from the USA, will never taste as good as the cherries this season, right now, from the farm down the road. Why? Because by the time they get here from the US, they are well past their prime.

Same goes for cherries from Adelaide.

And, even then, if the retailer down your street does not refrigerate them, they will collapse before you get them into yours.

Now, back to taste, every so often, someone will say the best cherries ever come from Tasmania, or Budapest, or Helsinki. 

Here are three things to consider:

- variety. There are over 1000. At least one will suit your pallet and you may have been lucky and eaten that one in Helsinki. My favourites: bing, lapin, stella, van, sumleta.

- soil. Like all stone fruit, the cherry tree likes a good soil.

- time of year. you may have eaten an early variety, or a late.

- the season. Some are good, some are bad.

The cherry is a fragile fruit.

Good luck in choosing yours.

A view from the Long Table Lunch: Manjimup Bridgetown Times, December 18, 2013

MANJIMUP
DECEMBER 14,
2013.

IN a remarkable victory local boy, Adam "Winner" Buckley, spat 11.9 metres to win the annual GlobeVista Australasian Cherry Pip Spitting Championship of the Entire World.

Normally a spit of 11.9 might get you second place but not this year.

With the temperature at a bone melting 39.9 degrees Celsius it was always going to be the toughest, the meanest, the most battled hardened and it was no surprise to the locals who have long hankered for a Buckley win.

In the past Buckley always spat well in the heats, always made the final, then, in the face of onslaughts from bigger men, New Zealand men, and women from down the road a bit, he could never pip the pip at the post and make it a winner.

Little did we know that he was saving himself, building for the hottest battle of all time. He was like Alan Border, chipping away in a fading team, waiting for the arrival of perfect conditions, then, BANG SPIT POW, the ashes were his, the cherry was his.


There was good competition from the Land of the Long White Shroud, Mike "Thunder Tongue" Wardill, spat his best but had buckly's against Buckely.

The Wardills did not go home empty handed, however, as the young Wardill, Bob "Surprise Package" won the under 15 event with a spit proving he may well be a champ of the future.

If you were asked to pick the winner of the women's spit you would quickly reply: Jo "Perennial" Perry. And you would be right. In fact, she spat so well this year she went straight into the final against all comers.

One of the pleasing aspects of the GlobeVista challenge is the increasing number of overseas champs willing to put their reputations on the line. This year's comp featured the Hong Kong Open Spitter, the national champ of Estonia and some bloke from France who spat more like an Englishman clearing his throat.


Here he is, the man they call "The Winner".

In other news, there were plenty of cherries on hand for all comers and many left town full and flush and knowing they would be back next year.

In the timber park on the Saturday night Todd Johnston showed he has lost none of his rock and roll charm and despite a rough and tumble in one corner, the vest majority of punters in attendance danced until their legs gave out.

Harvey Giblett's Newton Orchards once again hosted the Longest Table Lunch ever and the affable Simon Klopper arrived in his helicopter and whisked away more than one damsel never in distress.

THE GLOBE VISTA AUSTRALASIAN CHERRY PIP SPITTING CHAMPIONSUIP OF THE WORLD

MANJIMUP

December 2013.

THIS year's festival will be blessed with the spitting prowess presence of the current New Zealand Champion Michael "Pulp" Wardill.

In 2012 Michael spat the Aussie Champ Clint "Dark Cloud" Thompson in the grand final in Cromwell, a town forever to be known as a shadow to holiday central, Queenstown.

It was a remarkable comedown for the Dark Cloud because to win in Manjimup he had to spit a blood red pip over 20 metres, or 15, or 10, no-one was counting on the day.

Rumour has it that the Pulp Wardill has been spitting timber mill off-cuts to toughen his mouth for what he believes will be his toughest test since he played for the Otago Under 12s in the South Island junior rugby grand final in 1923.

Or was that 1983?





The three winners from 2012:
Jo "Perennial" Perry, Kieran "Big Bucks" Grant and Clint "Dark Cloud" Thompson.

This year's event will be bigger than ever. In the crowd you will see politicians, celebrities, people you love, people you never thought you'd see again, and people who will pretend they don't know you.

You want facts?
You want detail?
This is not the page.
Go here: Manji Cherry Harmony Festival.

THE LONGEST TABLE LUNCH

MANJIMUP

NEWTON ORCHARDS

SUNDAY

9.12.12

THE longest table lunch ever in the history of Manjimup, Australia and probably most other regions, was held in the middle of a cherry orchard today (or last weekend).

The brains behind the event organised for four World Class Chefs to prepare five courses to eat alongside the best wines available on the planet.

It should also be made clear that the almost 250 people sat at one table, not five alongside each other. If you were down one end you had to call a taxi to get to the other end. One patron, separated from his partner, took five hours to make his way under the table in a frantic search for his loved one, or someone to love, or someone he once loved, no-one knew.

In fact, the food was delivered along the length of the table from the back of a truck.
 

And here, right after the inaugural Loquat Stone Spitting Championship of the Planet, are three men who featured but lost.

On the left is up and coming spitter, Jeff Pow, in the middle the spit-caller, Jon Doust, and on the right an up-and-coming spit-caller, Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd.

The spitting competition was won by someone whose name we have forgotten, but he will be back to spit again, he assured us, made it clear he felt chuffed and pumped by his win, even though no-one congratulated him or went anywhere near him when the event was over.

MANJIMUP
December 8,
2012

LOCAL BOY WRESTS CROWN

IN a dramatic finish to the Australasian GlobeVista Cherry Pip Spitting Championships, local lad Clint "Dark Cloud" Thompson spat a hug 14 metre, or 12 metre, or maybe just over 11 metres, to win this years championship.

In the final were the current Australasian champion, New Zealander Aaron "Thunder Tongue" Collins and last years Australian champ Grant "Hercules" Hetherington.

One local estimated the crowd at around 15,000, while an out-of-towner suggested the number might have been closer to 5000. It made no difference, all were treated to the very best of spitting from the Australasian region.

Clint has his passport ready and is willing to fly to Cromwell in the middle south of the south island to defend his title against all the Kiwis have to spit at him.

Aaron Collins was shattered by his loss and has sworn to avenge his defeat. His manager, Ben "Haka" Wakefield said Aaron seemed out of sorts and it may have had something to do with the local beers. When reminded that all local beers were made by a New Zealand beer making corporation he quickly swallowed his and ordered a bottle of gin.

The scene is set. The next round of the Australasian Pip/Stone Spitting Championships will be spat out in Cromwell, South Island, New Zealand, on January the 4th, 2013.

Clint "Dark Cloud" holds high the trophy he won in a dash and flash of pip and saliva.

The three winners from all divisions:
Jo "Perennial" Perry, Kieran "Big Bucks" Grant and Clint "Dark Cloud" Thompson.

"Face of the Festival" Jordan Piggott with his arm around past pip spitting champ Craig "Blow Hard" McSharer.

THE ANNUAL GLOBE VISTA CHERRY PIP/STONE SPITTING CHAMIONSHIP OF THE ENTIRE WORLD ... well, some of it ... IS ON AGAIN!

MANJIMUP
4.12.12
It's on again and this year the boys and girls from Big Timber Country are determined to wrest the trophy back from the Ditch Dudes.

The New Zealanders piked out last year. They were too frightened to send someone over, but we sent them Hercules Hetherington. Here's how it was reported on this very page:

IN a startling turn of events, a school teacher claiming to be from Green Island, an island off the coast of Dunedin (NZ), has won the Globe Vista Australasian Cherry Pip/Stone Spitting Championship.

Aaron Collins spat a massive 12.58 metres to to win the event and the right to spit in the faces of 5000 Australians in the return spit in Manjimup this coming December.

It is believed Hercules Hetherington was handed a drink just before the final and the question has been raised: Was it spiked? Were his knees hobbled? Who was that man in the background? Why did the resident official turn his back at the last minute? 

Hetherington, who normally spits well over 15 metres was left staring at a pip just over 11 metres from his standing position.   

It's been a while since the Australasian Globe Vista Trophy was held by Aussies but all signs suggest this year could be the one.

What are those signs? What has brought us to this point in our fruit growing history where we think that a mob of growling men and women spitting tiny fruit stones, but mainly saliva, is of any importance?

No idea. It just is. It's the way we are. Some bastard has a trophy that belongs to us. We started the bloody thing.

It's like the poor Poms, nothing they would like more than to win the world cup, in anything: rugby, cricket, soccer, tennis. They came up with the lot and they hardly ever see a trophy.

Why did they come up with them in the first place? Good question. The weather, probably, although that is changing so fast it is doubtful they will come up with any more games before we all disappear into the coean.

My tip: be in Manjimup  this Saturday December 8th, for the biggest and nastiest spit-off you have ever seen.

EXTRAS:
BIG HOO HA FRIDAY NIGHT
CONCERT IN TIMBER PARK SATURDAY NIGHT
LONG TABLE LUNCH ON SUNDAY

THE WINNER TAKES THE LOT

CROMWELL
January 2012

IN a startling turn of events, a school teacher claiming to be from Green Island, an island off the coast of Dunedin (NZ), has won the Globe Vista Australasian Cherry Pip/Stone Spitting Championship.

Aaron Collins spat a massive 12.58 metres to to win the event and the right to spit in the faces of 5000 Australians in the return spit in Manjimup this coming December.

It is believed Hercules Hetherington was handed a drink just before the final and the question has been raised: Was it spiked? Were his knees hobbled? Who was that man in the background? Why did the resident official turn his back at the last minute? 

Hetherington, who normally spits well over 15 metres was left staring at a pip just over 11 metres from his standing position.   

Australian champ and Manjimup boy, Grant Hercules Hetherington shakes the hand of the mysterious Aaron Collins.

Aaron Collins blows his pip. 

For those of you wondering, Wikipedia claims Green Island is uninhabited.

Read on: Green Island is a small uninhabited island located at 45°57′11″S 170°23′14″E, 13 km (8.1 mi) southwest of Dunedin, close to the mouth of the Kaikorai Lagoon. The island's Māori name is Okaihae.

It may be the 'Isle of Wight' where the Sydney sealer Brothers, chartered by Robert Campbell and sailing under Robert Mason dropped eight men of a gang of eleven in November 1809. William Tucker who later settled at Whareakeake (Murdering Beach) near Otago Heads was in the gang. Alternatively the 'Isle of Wight' may be Taieri Island a few kilometres to the south. It has been suggested in that case Green Island may be 'Ragged Rock' where the other three men of the Brothers' gang were landed. Some of the men claimed to have stayed on these two islands from 9 November 1809 until 20 December 1810.^[1]

Green Island used to be called St Michael's Mount, suggesting it had been named after the island of that name off the Cornish coast. It is more likely it was so named after Tommy Chaseland's mother ship the St. Michael when he was sealing here in the 1820s. He told Edward Shortland he lost a boat and all its hands when it was dashed on the island while trying to land. He stayed alone overnight and was picked up by another boat the following day.^[2]

In the 1880s the island was mined for guano, bird dung used as fertiliser.

Strange, but is it true?

Can we believe Wiki?

If so, where is Collins really from?

All will be revealed this coming December, as Collins defends his title in Manjimup, part of the great south west of Western Australia and another town in the West's fruit and vegetable bowl.

Catch up - clips from the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival 2011

THE 2011 CHAMP BY A MILE

Grant "Hercules" Hetherington spits a pip 

(left) Hovea Wilkes hands Grant "Hercules" Hetherington the solid jarrah trophy




(right) Sandy Hetherington stands by her man
























Jon Doust basks in the glow of the champ







MANJIMUP
SATURDAY 10TH OF DECEMBER, 2011
THE AUSTRALASIAN GLOBE VISTA CHERRY PIP SPITTING CHAMPIONSHIP
Grant "Hercules" Hetherington once again snatched the trophy he won last year, but this time with a massive 12.7 metres spit.

The flying pip caused some confusion as it seemed to fly forever, but a sharp eyed child in the crowd spotted the rightful landing spot and the trophy was claimed by the big man for the second year in a row.

With a hushed 2000 strong crowd breathless, Adam "Buckers" Buckley lined up for his final gob and make a good show of it but fell short.

The MCs and security guards had to rush to Hercules as the crowd pushed forward, over eager for photographs and memorabilia.

In no time at all the spitter's wife and coach was by his side to claim her man.

In a heart wrenching move not normally seen from commercial identities, Aidan Montague and Tanya Izzard from Globe Vista decided to send both Hercules and Sandy to New Zealand.

On January 4th, a Wednesday, Hercules will spit off against New Zealand all-comers for the right to call himself  "Undisputed Champion of the Entire Southern Hemisphere".

The NZ spit will take place in Cromwell, just down the road from Queenstown on the south island.

Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival 10th Anniversary

This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival and celebrations for 2011 will be bigger than ever over the Festival weekend,  9-11 December.

Coinciding with the annual cherry harvest and the start of the cherry season, the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival will take over the streets of Manjimup for three days running, boasting a hive of activity, live entertainment, special guests and of course, more cherries than you can poke a tongue at!

The 2011 Festival officially opens on Friday 9th December with the Cherry Ball, a night jam-packed with a live big band, gorgeous frocks, dapper suits and a whole lot of dancing.

Saturday 10 December sees the centre of Manjimup buzzing with live bands, dazzling dancers, tantalising locally sourced food, cooking demonstrations, wine tasting and cherry stalls. Amongst other great community competitions - the Red Wheelbarrow Race and the Wood Chopping competition.

An exciting part of the Saturday celebrations is the annual Cherry Festival Pip Spitting Competition, which pits contestants against one another to see who can make the longest distance by spitting a cherry pip.

This year will once against pit the New Zealand Sherry Stone Spitting Champion against the local champ in the Australasian Cherry Pip Stone Championship of the World. This event is called by a double act comprising comedy legend Wyat Nixon Lloyd and rapidly fading ex-comedian, Jon Doust.

Festival spokesperson, Roy Pit Bull Piggott, spends a lot of time between Festivals writing to potential contestants from around the world and inviting the best pip-spitters to Manjimup to compete with the local talent.

“We are very proud to show our town off to visitors from all over the state and cherry-enthusiasts from across the globe during the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival. The community involvement is increasing each year and people from out of town are making a weekend of it more and more to see what all the fuss is about. We like to think no-one loves cherries like Manjimup loves cherries!” says Piggott.

After the all-day celebration on the Saturday, Sunday 11 December allows for a more relaxing time at the Long Table Lunch. Approximately 200 guests line both sides of a long table covered in crisp white cloth that stretches across the grass amongst cherry trees in the Newton Brothers Orchard. The four course meal served includes local cherry produce, black truffles and the finest local wines.

Since the inaugural year in 2002 the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival has proven a hoot of a time for all ages. Over five thousand people visit the Festival annually, a number that is growing each year.

Where else do they celebrate cherries?

·         Michigan, USA, is the ‘Cherry Capital of the World’, where the International Cherry Pit Spitting Championship is held annually.

·         Viterbo, Italy, the ‘Cherries Festival of Celleno's Proloco’.

·         Céret, France - here they make a fifteen metre cherry pie each year and drink cherry flavoured beer.

Did you know?

·         "Young Gun" Krause from Arizona holds the world record for cherry pip spitting (100 feet 4 inches / approx 31 metres).

MANJIMUP CHERRY FESTIVAL 2010 PART 2

VIDEO

MANJIMUP CHERRY FESTIVAL 2010 PART 1

VIDEO

THE BIG SPIT WINNER

MANJIMUP
DECEMBER 11, 2010
IN an action packed spit-off in the GlobeVista Australasian Cherry Pip Spitting Championships, local boy Grant "Hercules" Hetherington spat his way to the top.

The heats were hot enough and past champ, Craig "I was the Man" McSharer, looked worried early on.

"I could see I was up against it," he said. "I knew my win last year was inspirational, but I hadn't realised it's full impact. Now every weekened spitter wants to represent his country."

Final results were:
1 - Grant "Hercules" Hetherington 10.93 metres.
2 - Daniel "The Whistler" Jones 10.73 metres.
3 - Adam "Tippers" Buckley 10.35 metres.

THE SPIT SPAT

FRIDAY
MANJIMUP
WEST AUSTRALIA
IN a dramatic development, the current Australasian GlobeVista Cherry Pip Spitting Champion, Craig "The Hoop Boy" McSharer, has announced he will spit in this Saturdays Big Spit.

Only two days ago, the champ, whose mug is not up for grabs until January 4 in Cromwell NZ, had said he would stand aside and let the "local lads have a crack".

All this changed when a number of young turks came out of the orchard and blow their cheeks.

These included Grant "Hercules" Hetherington, Daniel "The Whistler" Jones and Greg "Shorty" Matthews.

Not to forget Adam "Blow Hard, Blow Long" Adams and the Dark Horse, who is yet to show his colours, Adam "The Whisperer" Price. Price, who has been in hiding since last year's event, when he blitzed the field with an early spit in excess of 12 metres.

If you want to see some live action, but not much of it, go to the ABC SOUTH WEST WEB SITE.

The Big Spit will commence at around 11.15am  tomorrow Saturday 11.

VICTORIANS SPIT THEIR BEST

The National Cherry Association provided a highlight for the Victorians this year at their annual Cherry Spit.

Above: the winner of  the Vic Spit, Iain Chaney, no relation to Lon, Fred or Michael.

Iain did his best but if he thinks he can wrest the National Championship from our very own Craig "Spit King" McSharer, then he better start practising because a spit of 8.9 metres ain't going to cut it.

To be fair, I understand he spat better in the heat, over 10 metres, and blamed a strong wind for his dismal winning spit.

This, apparently, almost caused a spat with the organiser who thought he was taking the spit out of some of the older members.

Below: The National Cherry Association Ambassador for 2010, Kathleen Alleaume, visited the Cherry Lane Big Spit and displayed much needed grace and charm.

 

NOW:

This weekend in Manjimup, West Australia, the big men of cherry pip spitting will spit off in the Globe Vista Australasian Cherry Pip Spitting Championships of 2010.

Unfortunately  this year will not feature a New Zealander.

They have had it, collapsed in a heap, lost their cherries, are scared, no, they have adjusted their comp and this year will spit next year, January 4 to be precise.

Manjimup's last year's winner, the inimitable Craig "Big Foot" McSharer, will represent Australia in NZ in January.

Local spitters this year will spit for money, glory and a place in next year's Tenth Anniversary final.

The spit is on!