AFTER being in the whipcracking business for half his life, Wagga man Anthony Rennick has achieved a national title he described as being the pinnacle of his career.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 51-year-old came away from the 2019 Royal Easter Sydney Show as the Australian whipcracking champion in the over 45s division.
The last time he secured top placing in any event at the show was back in 2015 as the accuracy champion.
The national title comes not long after securing the Victorian title at the Seymour Alternative Farming Expo in February this year.
He has also been nominated for life membership at the Australian Whip Crackers and Plaiters Association.
"This Australian championship has been a big goal I've been striving for for a long time, so it's pretty much the pinnacle," Mr Rennick said.
"I still have the NSW Championships coming up."
In Sydney, Mr Rennick was judged on five tricks and an accuracy test, which requires splitting polystyrene cups into two.
"If you get a clean cut into two, you get two points," he said.
"If you get a tear, you get one point.
"Then you've got to do one minute of continuous freestyle whipcracking."
Competitors also get points for their appearance and style.
- Related: Whipmaking in good hands
Mr Rennick, who teaches whipcracking and is also a full-time whipmaker in his garage, said he fell into whipcracking 26 years ago by accident after he was making a belt.
"I didn't know how to finish it off properly so I asked around a few saddlers and one suggested I go and see a bloke called Herb Sefton and he was a self-taught maker [of whips]," he said.
"He showed me how to finish the belt and then said 'I can show you how to make a whip if you like' and that's how it all started."
The secret to an award-winning whip, he said, is getting the balance right between the shape, balance and weight.
"If they're made well, you just throw them out and they just lay out and the whip does the work," Mr Rennick said.
He said the whip must also gel with its user, much like a racquet to a tennis player and a bat to a cricketer.
While you're with us, did you know that you can now receive updates straight to you inbox each day at 6am from The Daily Advertiser? To make sure you're up to date with all the Wagga news sign up here.
