David Foster (woodchopper)
An Australian axeman who dominated world woodchopping for over two decades, amassing over a thousand titles and redefining the limits of endurance in sport.
Born 1957 (age 69)·Australian champion woodchopper·Birthday: March 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
David Foster didn't just win woodchopping competitions; he rendered the concept of competition obsolete. From his home in Tasmania, Foster embarked on a sporting campaign of unprecedented dominance. For 21 straight years, he held the title of World Champion, a streak of supremacy almost unimaginable in any athletic discipline. His success wasn't just about brute strength; it was built on meticulous technique, peerless conditioning, and a fierce competitive intelligence. He turned standing block, underhand chop, and tree felling into an art form, traveling the globe to compete in shows and championships. Foster's tally of over 1,000 career titles is a number that speaks to both his longevity and his relentless will to win. He became a folk hero in Tasmania and a standard-bearer for timber sports worldwide, proving that a man with an axe could achieve a level of sporting excellence comparable to any Olympian.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
David was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When David Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
David's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Held the World Woodchopping Championship title for 21 consecutive years.
- Won over 1,000 championship titles in his woodchopping career.
- Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to woodchopping.
- Set multiple world records in various woodchopping disciplines throughout his career.
Did You Know?
He is a fifth-generation axeman from Tasmania.
Foster once chopped through a 400mm block of wood in under 12 seconds.
He has been inducted into the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame.
Beyond chopping, he has worked as a farmer and a motivational speaker.
“The axe is an extension of my arm; the log is just waiting to be split.”
