He worked in the forest cutting down trees for a living.

Over time he perfected the art of aiming his heavy, sharp-edged axe at exactly the right spot.

It was a skill he inherited from his father Les and would later pass on to his own sons.

Meyer started competition woodchopping in 1968 at the age of 28 at the Lancefield Show.

He exceeded his own expectations, winning four events in the one day.

More importantly he fell in love with the sport.

Swinging his axe was no longer just a job - it became a chance to be the best.

"I just loved the thrill of it all," he says.

Meyer competed at the Royal Melbourne Show for about four decades before calling it quits two years ago.

His favourite event was the standing block, but he also had a soft spot for treefelling.

He's still involved, cutting the 2300 logs needed for each year's competition.

"You can compete until you're 75 if you want to, but the arthritis got me. In the end I couldn't hold the axe."

"It's a good atmosphere [at the Show] and you meet a hell of a lot of good blokes."

But if you are under the impression the Meyer name has been lost to the sport, then think again. Woodchopping has, and always will be, a Meyer family affair.

Two of Neville Meyer's sons are competing again this year, while grandsons Blake, 16, and Kyle, 14, are taking part for the first time.

Meyer's daughter-in-law Janet and granddaughter Rebecca are competing with crosscut saws.

He says he's proud the family legacy has continued.

"We've been in it for a long long time. I'll be in it until I conk out. My sons will take over and then my grandsons will take over."

Meyer also runs a woodchopping school in Lancefield, which he established to encourage people to learn the craft.

Only a handful of people have taken up the challenge so far, but Meyer is happy to pass on the tricks of the trade to anyone interested.

"It's hard to get axemen into the sport when they've had no experience. It's mainly a family sport.

"You've got to have the skill and finesse to do it. It's a lot of training."