A BOOMERANG-MAKER and competition thrower is a character you would associate with the Australian outback rather than rural Gloucestershire. However Hawkesbury Upton pensioner Ronald Cook is a champion in the art of boomerang-throwing and has a collection of up to 50. GAZETTE feature writer KIRSTY RAMSDEN met the boomerang expert to find out more about the implement and its uses.

MYSTERY surrounds the history of the boomerang, explained Hawkesbury Upton man Ronald Cook.

The oldest known boomerangs date back between 11,000 and 15,000 years and the oldest one ever found was discovered in Holland, not Australia, he added.

However it is likely the first boomerangs were used in hunting. The returning boomerangs would be used to frightened flocks of birds into the air to be caught in nets or with spears.

The non-returning boomerangs would be used to kill prey.

They would also have been used as tools to dig for food, explained Mr Cook.

However today the use of the boomerang is becoming recreational.

Mr Cook, 75, became interested in boomerangs when he met the late Herb Smith through business in 1979.

Mr Smith, once a boomerang throwing world record holder, invited Mr Cook to a club meeting and from then on he was hooked.

Mr Cook joined the British Boomerang Society, an organisation which has a membership of between 50 and 60.

Mr Smith taught him to throw a boomerang - quite a skill, explained Mr Cook - and he began to craft his own boomerangs.

He said: "I'm interested in woodwork so started to make them."

Making a boomerang is quite a skilful operation. Mr Cook will craft an original, then go out with his sandpaper to test throw it, working away until it flies perfectly.

In fact such is the detail and the technical skill needed to make and throw a boomerang, there are even different ones for right and left-handed throwers.

Mr Cook said: "For a left-handed person to use a right-handed boomerang would be like flying an aeroplane upside down."

There are boomerang societies throughout the world and Mr Cook has taken part in throwing competitions abroad, including in France and in Canada.

The USA and Australia even have boomerang-throwing teams. And competitions - with their variety of classes - can be as complex as throwing the boomerang itself.

There are competitions for distance and for accuracy, for consecutive catches and for maximum time aloft, and even a juggling competition which uses two boomerangs.

There is a lot of skill involved in throwing the boomerang and it is a skill which must be taught, rather than just picked up.

Mr Cook said: "You have to throw the boomerang in a specific way to make it come back."

He compares boomerang-hrowing to playing golf.

He said: "In golf when you hit the ball one time it could land near the hole and another in the rough.

"I've thrown a boomerang and its returned back and landed at my feet and I've picked it up, thrown it again and it has gone completely wrong."

But once mastered, boomerang throwing is infectious and is popular with all ages.

Mr Cook used to run workshops for youngsters of about 11. They would make boomerangs for the first day of the workshop and learn how to throw them on the second.

As well as these younger participants, the sport is played by those pushing 80, he explained.

Mr Cook said: "Where ever I travel I take my boomerang with me."

He owns between 40 and 50 boomerangs which, he explains, is nothing compared to some enthusiasts who boast collections of up to 500.

The boomerangs come in a variety of sizes and shapes. There are also pin-wheel boomerangs which can have up to eight legs.

He said: "It is a healthy and extremely affordable hobby."

A boomerang can cost as little as a couple of pounds.

Having moved to Hawkesbury Upton less than two years ago from London, he enjoys making use of the open spaces surrounding the village for boomerang-throwing.

He said: "It is nice to go into the fields and spend some time throwing."

However he is at pains to emphasise that boomerang-throwing can be dangerous and should be practised well away from people.

It should also be practised well away from trees - there have been devices invented to retrieve boomerangs from trees, he explained.

And why is boomerang so popular?

"Well," said Mr Cook, "there is something fascinating about throwing a piece of wood and having it return to you."

Pictured: Boomerang maker, collector and international competitor Ron Cook GJA53V03