Gudgeon Pro’s ‘birthday’ will be celebrated in the main pavilion with cake. “I’ve done a deal with mum to do the baking; mind you I think we will need a few cakes,” says Roskam.
All buyers of a Gudgeon Pro at Fieldays will get a free Gudgeon Pro keyring designed and printed by Roskam on a 3D printer he bought with his prize money.
Roskam invented the Gudgeon Pro for a science fair three years ago. Raised on a dairy farm, he conceived the device after his father bought a new farm and had to rehang all the gates on the race.
The tool allows straight, accurate drilling of holes for gudgeons -- especially the lock-through type. And it makes the job faster and less frustrating. “It replaces lots of tools to do the job, so reducing cost and inconvenience.”
Chiefly the tool is a drill guide for gudgeons and can be adjusted for different gates. It also has a level and two sets of wire placement guides to ensure the accuracy of a wire fence.
Winning the Agri Innovation Award for farm aids and tool/farm inventions was amazing, Roskam says. “There were 13 other entries in this category. I had to talk to five judges about the Gudgeon Pro which was a bit stressful.
“I was up against Dow Agrosciences and Te Pari Products so I was [expecting] to get a merit award. I was blown away when they announced I had won that class.
“The award also came with a big surprise of $1000 but I think the award was more important.”
