The Bairnsdale Speedway Association will celebrate its 50th anniversary this Saturday with events at the track at Granite Rock and at Club Eastwood.
Throughout it’s journey, the club has been one of the success stories of local sport, going from strength to strength for half a century.
Racing commenced at Granite Rock on Sunday, April 4, 1976, with Local Member of Parliament Bruce Evans opening the venue in front of a large crowd and 60 speedway cars.
The grand opening delayed several weeks after rain forced the cancellation of proposed March opening, monthly meetings were held on a Sunday back in that era.
The clubs origins trace back to the 1970, with the formation of the Lakes and District Sporting Car Club’s racetrack at the eastern end of Nowa Nowa Recreation Reserve.
In 1974, that club began searching for land to build a modern speedway track, with safety and spectator viewing areas as top priorities.
A farm owned by Colin Campbell at Lake Bunga was chosen, and club members prepared to begin construction of the track.
However, local Lake Bunga residents opposed the development, leading to a court case that the club lost, and subsequently the search for another site began.
Another site was secured at Granite Rock north of Bairnsdale, and on July 1, 1974 the Lakes and District Sporting Car Club signed a lease with owners William and Val Hall.
The land, now the present speedway site, was a gravel sand pit and farmland, with the initial lease running for 10 years, with an option to extend it by a further five years.
Rent was set at $30 per year plus 10 percent of gate takings.
In 1975, during construction of the current speedway track, members decided to change the club’s name from the Lakes and District Sporting Car Club to the Bairnsdale Speedway Club.
The track was built through the hard work of club members and the leadership, enthusiasm and guidance of the it’s founding president and first Life Member, Henry Dean.
The complex was funded by member contributions, which were later repaid.
The club greatly appreciative of the support of people like, Les Patton, who allowed the use of his dozer, which was mostly operated by Mick Huggins.
Col McKinnon’s construction company provided its scraper and other heavy machinery at reduced rates, while Cuthbertson and Richards Sawmill supplied timber for the speedway wall at a discounted price.
After two years, thousands of hours of labour and the removal of 18,000 cubic yards of soil, the racetrack was completed with fencing, a canteen and toilets, and ready for that initial meeting.
A promoter approached the club in 1977 with $1,000 offer to hold a rock concert, and the speedway became a multi purpose venue.
Unfortunately, extremely hot weather meant the day was not very successful.
During 1984, the Bairnsdale Speedway Club changed its name to Bairnsdale Speedway Association Incorporated on advice from the Victorian Government.
The change helped protect members and office bearers of volunteer-run sporting clubs from litigation.
Late in 1986, the property changed ownership and the new owners did not wish to continue the existing lease agreement, which caused some stress at the time.
That coincided with association beginning the trialing of night racing, with hired light towers marking a major shift from traditional Sunday meetings to Saturday nights, Boxing Day night and Easter events.
Thankfully in May 1987, club officials negotiated with the new owners to purchase the land for $28,000 with a deposit of 10 percent.
Although the agreement required repayment within three years, the club paid it off early and took full ownership in July 1988.
The purchase was partly funded by loans from members, which were repaid over the following years.
The club celebrating the repayment milestone, by building and opening it’s first commentary box.
For 40 years, the Sarsfield Fire Brigade volunteers have supported Bairnsdale Speedway, their dedication to both the club and the wider community has been exceptional.
During fire season, some meetings appeared at risk, but the brigade consistently provided volunteers and a fire vehicle when needed.
They also used the speedway’s fire extinguishers on many occasions, with the club delighted with their continued support.
To improve the track for night racing in 1988, many members lent the club money to buy lights, poles and a generator, with the loans were repaid quickly.
The club purchased a 100kVA Dorman generator from Telecom for $5000 and, under the guidance of Max Eastwood and George Reggardo, installed 33 wooden light poles fitted with 1500-watt lights.
The first night meeting, run on a fully club-owned system, was very successful, a great reward for all the hard work.
The evolution of the track continued in 1991, when over a two year period, the club replaced the wooden track fence with a concrete wall to improve driver safety.
In 1993, the decision was made to change from a gravel racing surface to clay/sand mix.
Hundreds of truckloads of clay were brought in from construction sites around Bairnsdale, and the track remains clay-based today.
With growing crowds and the popularity of speedway racing locally, a larger canteen was constructed to feed the patrons, the project led by club member Ross Smith with support from other members.
Bairnsdale Speedway’s first canteen was the former building from the Nowa Nowa racetrack.
It was dismantled, relocated and rebuilt at the speedway, in the early years, the canteen was run by members and volunteers, led by Jenni Smith and her friends.
Jenni Smith remained the organiser when the new canteen opened and after she and her team retired, club members resumed running the canteen.
It was later operated by the Lakes Entrance Lions Club as a fundraiser, who stepped away from canteen operations in 2016.
A former Lions member then established the Community Volunteers, bringing local groups into the canteen alongside experienced club members and other volunteers.
In return for their support, donations were made to the participating organisations, this arrangement continues today.
The club received a $5000 grant from the former Bairnsdale Shire in 1995 to help build the existing brick toilet block on the western side of the complex.
The remaining $20,000 was funded by the club, who also contribute $5,500 to connect the brick toilet block to the main water scheme, which included all the poly piping.
The harder you work, the more success you have, and that couldn’t be truer, when in 1996, the Bairnsdale Speedway was awarded the very first Track of the Year by the Victorian Speedway Council (VSC).
Easter of that year, the club host the Australian Compact Speedway Title, the only National title ever conducted at the venue.
A range of VSC and (ASCF) Speedway Australia State Titles have been conducted at the track, including standard saloons, junior standard saloons, junior 1200 sedans, ladies standard saloons, limited sportsman, unlimited, sports sedans, sprintcars, mini sprints, rods, super rods, three litres , division two hot rods production sedans and marsh mods.
Local farmer, truck driver and CFA volunteer Ian Brownrigg has supplied his tractor for 30 years and has often attended the speedway to assist with race car recovery and track rollings.
He has also made his tip truck available for clay and road stone surfacing at the complex.
A monster truck event held in conjunction with a promoter drew the largest crowd and the highest gate takings ever seen at the Bairnsdale Speedway complex in 1999.
But the club was only paid a reasonable hiring fee for the complex, after not pushing for a percentage of takings.
In the club’s early years, first aid was handled by Bob Coleman, who used a toolbox stocked with basic medical supplies such as band-aids, bandages and panadol.
The club later engaged St John’s Ambulance, which attended with a van and more equipment.
In 1999, Red Cross Emergency First Aid began providing services for a small fee, with their members having a higher level of qualification.
In 2012, Bryce Green arranged for Community Event First Aiders to provide services for a small fee.
As racing speeds increased and safety regulations became stricter, the club was required to use paid first aid professionals.
Despite the added cost, the club engages Race Day Medical, staffed by paramedics.
Whelan’s Earth Moving and Haulage signed on as a sponsor of the club in 2000, beginning the club’s largest and longest-running sponsorship, a hugely success arrangement still in place today.
For 26 years, the company has supported the club by providing its grader for most meetings and a water truck.
In 2001, a new pit box was constructed, which is still in operation today, later that same year, work began to enlarge the pit area.
In the following few years to raise additional funds, the club ran mud bash races.
Monster Trucks returned to the complex in 2005, but poor weather reduced spectator numbers and affected the event’s success.
