The Bathurst Cricket Ground was a hive of
activity during August and September of 1928. The necessary work was being
carried out to prepare the ground for the introduction of speedway. The company
with the lease to conduct the motorcycle racing outlaid a considerable sum of
money erecting a new safety fence, and carrying out improvements to the old
track. The Bathurst Council installed electric lighting which made night racing
possible.
Prior to work commencing, the track had been just 18 feet wide. On completion,
the quarter mile circuit was up to 40 feet wide in places. The new safety fence
was constructed of seven six-inch boards. The racing surface installed was of
cinders and ashes. When work was completed, the new Bathurst Speedway was the
envy of other track managers in the State.
On Saturdays September 15th and 22nd, some of the riders tried out the track.
Ken Kirkman, Bruce Webb and Rod Bayliss were three to make the most of the
opportunity. They had nothing but praise for the track, expressing the opinion
that it was the best and fastest in the State.
The opening night of racing on Saturday September 29th, 1928, was a big occasion
for the residents of Bathurst. Visitors came from near and far to be present for
the gala occasion. In its advertising campaign during the week, the promotion
had promised “50 riders in action in 40 races – a race every 5 minutes” Out of
interest, admission prices were Gents 2/-, Ladies 1/6, cars 1/-. In decimal
currency, that’s 20 cents, 15 cents, and 10 cents.
The Mayor of Bathurst, Alderman J. A. Hitchcock, performed the official opening
ceremony. I found part of his opening address most interesting. He said that, in
the matter of sport, Bathurst had always been well served, and that now the city
had a new branch of sport in which he honestly believed champions could be
produced, as had been the case with football, cricket, tennis and so on. How
prophetic that statement turned out to be. The city produced a World Speedway
Champion.
I’ve often wondered if, should this new track not have been constructed in
Bathurst, the world would ever have seen one of the most talented riders to ever
grace a speedway track – Bathurst’s own Arthur George Wilkinson.
50 pounds prizemoney was on offer on opening night. Riders came from Sydney,
Orange, Lithgow, Goulburn, Wallerawang, Eugowra, and Dubbo hoping to pocket some
of the spoils.
“Bluey” Wilkinson wasn’t on the programme on opening night, but, within months
of his debut appearance, he had mastered the skills required to be competitive
on the Bathurst track.
Some of the finest riders in New South Wales made the trip to Bathurst that
season. A number of outstanding performances were witnessed; there was
controversy, and also tragedy. There are some very interesting stories about the
1928-29 Bathurst season, not the least of which are those concerning the rise to
prominence of A. G. Wilkinson.
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