Introducing Nate the blacksmith
Home » Blog » Nate Savill » Introducing Nate the blacksmithLooking for a fresh start, Good's new blogger Nate Savill moved to the West Coast town of Westport and set himself the challenge of learning the ancient craft of blacksmithing. Read on for for the first instalment of Nate's journey ...
Kia ora, I’m Nate and I live in Westport (Kawatiri), on the West Coast (Te Tai o Poutini) of the South Island (Te Wai Pounamu). I moved here from Auckland in February, to try my hand at blacksmithing and I’ve been asked to tell you all a bit about my experience.
Previous to this new adventure, I had been living in a squat in Kingsland, studying theology, painting houses and getting over a long relationship. Life was a bit of a hurricane, so in December last year I left Auckland to hitchhike around the South Island in the hope of finding some solitude.
Blacksmith image by Caravinagre via Flickr
Perhaps it was my interest in lost arts, history and a recent visit to my friend’s hobby forge, I’m not sure … but deep in the Southern Alps I felt an intense need to use my hands creatively, and I was sure I needed to find a blacksmith to tell me more about their trade.
A week later that I was sitting at the dining room table, in the pumpkin coloured house on Westport’s Derby Street, telling Greeny (a blacksmith) my story. He sagely explained to me that my mind had finally met my body, and any recognition of this ‘calling’ would mean moving to Westport for the year.
So here I am in Westport, taking part in a Blacksmithing, Welding and Light Engineering course, where 12 of us hammer, grind and weld our way through the day. I’m learning to shape steel with fire, hammer, and anvil. Welding is addictive, and the drop saws, massive grinders (one called Thumbelina; she likes thumbs), bench drills, thermal cutters, plasma cutters, steel benders, and a number of other noisy, smelly machines which are quite fun too!
Blacksmithing is a mental, physical and emotional challenge, a holistic experience requiring the union of mind and body. It’s a whole new world for someone used to using their mind more than their hands, and it’s a struggle at times. I’ve found an interest in tools and functionality—others on the course attempt broadswords and chain mail; I’m more interested in a good way to chop carrots.
Blacksmithing is a mental, physical and emotional challenge, a holistic experience requiring the union of mind and body. It’s a whole new world for someone used to using their mind more than their hands, and it’s a struggle at times. I’ve found an interest in tools and functionality—others on the course attempt broadswords and chain mail; I’m more interested in a good way to chop carrots.
Westport has a population of 3,000, the biggest employers are the local coalmines, the fishing industry and the cement works. They are all mines in their own way, and I believe, are deeply connected with the darkness and negativity that shadows this small town.
The weekend I arrived, a young man was purposefully run over and killed after a fight at a party. It didn’t seem to faze many people; this is The Coast, bastion of machismo, where only the tough survive. A cultural void where poverty is high and literacy is low, and leisure time is dedicated to one of the many pubs. I am outsider both by choice and by privilege of growing up elsewhere.
I encountered Westport’s negativity almost immediately. On arrival I was told that I was not welcome on the course, and to leave. The problem: I’m not a young, unemployed delinquent from Westport and I actually want to do the course. After a week the administration realised I wasn’t leaving. Another two weeks of phone calls, letter writing and door knocking and I was officially on the course!
The coast itself is beautiful, a long stretch of land, sandwiched between the sea and Paprika Ranges. The coastline is rugged, the sea often rough, the wind always blowing and the mountains cast a constant shadow. It is a beautiful, powerful and lonely place to be.
And it is very lonely at times; I often wonder what is going on in 'the real world'. National Radio is a lifeline. My spare time is filled with reading, writing, letters, visits to the beach, excursions to smaller towns and abandoned mines, cooking and baking—consequently the supermarket has become a place of escape and inspiration.
Needless to say, I haven’t met many people to relate to; my flatmate Andy (a geologist) is good for a conversation, as is Peter the dissident muralist who returned to Westport from Wellington to escape the influx of computers in the early 90s. There are good, gentle people here, and there are flashes of light when least expected.
My hope is to move up the coast to Granity, a tiny seaside town which claims to be the most eccentric village in New Zealand. I have been thwarted, so far, by rents nearly as high as those in Auckland (miners earn good money).
The West Coast is a strange place, full of characters and amazing rugged beauty. I’ve been thinking a lot about the desperation of small towns and the small dreams that exist within them. The city provides plenty of insulation against the realities of small town and rural New Zealand. It's something I am only beginning to understand.
It is a much simpler existence than the one in Auckland, something I appreciate and was very ready for. I’m really enjoying the adventure as it continues to unfold, and it is this that I hope to share with you.
This is the first of a fortnightly blog from Nate
Sun May 02, 2010 @ 07:26 PM
