Humpty Doo whip plaiter Mark Rudolph crowned ‘Champion of Champions’ at World Whip Plaiting Championship 2025

Full of self-doubt and reluctancy, this Humpty Doo man defied the odds and became the ‘Champion of Champions’ at the World Whip Plaiting Championship. Read his story.

Mark Rudolph lives a quiet life in Humpty Doo. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

For the past nine years, Mark Rudolph has lived a mostly quiet life on his rural block in Humpty Doo.

He moved to the Northern Territory about a decade ago in pursuit of a “fresh start” shortly after his wife passed away, and began working in maintenance at Girraween Primary School.

After about three years, health related-issues got the better of him and he had to stop working.

With plenty of spare time on his hands, Mr Rudolph, 62, picked up an old hobby of his: leatherwork.

It was a passion he first fell in love with from his mother when he was a teenager in Bundaberg.

He started his hobby young. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

From whips to hat bands, there was plenty on display at Mr Rudolph’s house. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

But as he got older, the busyness of life put his hobby to a halt.

“When you’ve got a family and you’re working all the time, you don’t have that much time on your hands,” he said.

Despite an almost 15 year hiatus since he had last done leatherwork, however, Mr Rudolph quickly picked it back up again and began making stock whips from his home studio.

Although it was totally dependent on the style and pattern of the whip, Mr Rudolph said it could often take him anywhere from 100-200 hours in total to make one.

“I make maybe 20 a year,” said Mr Rudolph, who later shared he often spent as many as 10 hours a day working on a whip.

Even at 62, Mr Rudolph makes cracking a whip look easy. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Recently, he entered the Australian Whip Plaiting Championships, where he placed second and third nationally.

He was reluctant to do so, he said, because fan-fare and recognition were not why he did it.

“I’m not that competitive really, I just do it because it’s a hobby,” he said.

Following his podium finishes, he was encouraged to take his skills to the World Championships.

Mr Rudolph was again reluctant and full of self-doubt, but he tried anyway.

Adding to his collection of whips is his collection of ribbons. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

He won at an even bigger level, walking away with first and second placings in whip making, first place for hat bands, several other awards and was even crowned the “Champion of Champions” for his achievements.

“I knew I’d do alright, but I didn’t expect that,” he said.

“But I’m only really the world champion for the year; competition is all about who is better on the day.”

Despite his success, Mr Rudolph said he had no interest in opening up a store to sell his whips, as it would just add unneeded pressure.

“I know I probably could’ve had orders coming in for years, but I don’t want that,” he said.

“You just get this pressure that you have to make it and get it done within a certain time frame, whereas now I get to make whatever I want and sell them off.”

Originally published as Humpty Doo whip plaiter Mark Rudolph crowned ‘Champion of Champions’ at World Whip Plaiting Championship 2025