Lovf’s Sawmill
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Lovf’s Sawmill
Lovf’s Legacy Begins in Woodford
In about 1915, Peter Nielsen Lovf acquired the sawmill at Woodford from Beanland, King & Co, positioned beside the railway at what is now the Woodford Bowls Club on Webb Lane. The Lovf family had recently settled in the district, and Peter, a Danish-born wheelwright, soon became a key figure in local timber. By December 1921, Lovf’s Ltd was registered. The mill remained active until 1928, when it was destroyed by fire. During its operation, Lovf’s Sawmill contributed to the region’s growing timber industry and was part of a broader network of ventures involving the Lovf family.
c1920: Homestead of Peter Lovf in Woodford
Photo courtesy of City of Moreton Bay Reference No: CLPC-P1703
Peter Lovf’s Journey to Woodford
Peter Nielsen Lovf emigrated from Denmark around 1909 and tried his hand at farming at Bellford (Bellthorpe). A skilled wheelwright, he soon moved into sawmilling, partnering with Anders Fredin around 1910. After selling out of this venture in 1911, Peter returned to sawmilling in about 1914, establishing a mill in Bellthorpe, and by 1915 had taken over the Beanland & King mill in Woodford.
Registered Business and Family Legacy
By 1917, Peter Lovf had officially purchased the mill at Woodford, and in December 1921, Lovf’s Ltd was formally registered. After Peter’s death in 1926, his sons continued the business until 1928, when the mill was destroyed by fire. This marked the end of Lovf’s operation at this location, though their involvement in regional sawmilling left a lasting legacy.
c1920s: Bullock Team driver Harry Cannon sitting on the wagon shaft
Ron Trim
Local Historian Recalls
“In Woodford, where the Bowling Club is now, a mill had been built by Tom Beanland and J King. J Higgins had a siding built for them in 1913. The Lovf family bought this mill around 1914–1916 and it ran until it burnt in 1928.”
Valdemar Lovf
A Remarkable Feat at Bellthorpe
Valdemar Nielsen Lovf, known as Walter, was only 16 years old in 1923 when he single-handedly felled a massive 103-foot Blackbutt tree. His firsthand account reveals not just courage but ingenuity, as he engineered a solution for springboard placement and stability. This towering stump became a local landmark at Bellthorpe.
1923: Pointing to the sky. A stump over 100 feet high at Bellthorpe.
Photo from V. Lovf
100 Feet High Stump
Valdemar Neilsen Lovf (known as Walter):
‘With regard to the tall stump referred to, it is a Blackbutt, roughly 10ft girth breast high and approximately 4ft girth at the top.
I took a measurement using an Abney level and it was 103 ft in height.
I did this on my own when 16 years of age in 1923.
I used two boards and coming down was a problem. I bored a hole in the centre of the outer end of the board and similar near the shoe.
This allowed me to secure the shoe end into the board hole with the outer end held higher just as one does in ordinary use. I cut larger and deeper board holes than usual to help in this matter.
When the top of the tree left the stump it swayed considerably, but I was sitting on the board with my arms clasping the tree as I had fallen another tree 45ft high and it made me aware of this.’
It will be noted that Mr Lovf refers to the shoe on the spring-board. Some called it a ‘shoe’; others spoke of a ‘clip’.
Lovf’s Early Partnership with Fredin
Fredin & Lovf – A Mill Beside One Mile Creek
Before establishing the Webb Lane sawmill, Peter Lovf partnered with Anders Fredin in 1910. Their first venture operated beside One Mile Creek in Woodford. Though short-lived, it marked Lovf’s first foray into sawmilling in the region.
Read more about Fredin & Lovf’s first sawmill ?
Brandon, Lovf’s Sawmill Bellthorpe Beginnings
In 1914, Peter Lovf partnered in a short-lived sawmill venture at Bellthorpe, often referred to as Brandon, Lovf’s Sawmill. This site is also remembered for Valdemar Lovf’s daring felling of a 103-foot Blackbutt at just 16 years of age.
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