A lot more driving still left for Wayne

People: ALISON KIDMAN

“PERHAPS I could do with a smaller house and a bigger shed,” muses Wayne Millman as he reflects on his years in Collie. He’s joking, of course, or perhaps half joking.

“I have three vintage cars – a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle, a 1965 XP Falcon and a 1993 Mercedes,” he says. Having spent about 40 years involved with the Collie Speedway, he has swapped race cars for road cars.

To rewind a bit, it was his father’s work that brought his family here nearly 60 years ago.

“Dad was the first proprietor of the Golden Fleece service station in Collie,” he says. “It opened in about 1965 and has since been a Caltex and is now Ampol.

“I wasn’t hugely interested in cars at that stage, but dad had a go-kart. Around the same time, the policeman in charge of the PCYC had the idea of starting a hotrod track to get local youth interested in racing in a safe and controlled way, rather than hooning around the streets.”

The policeman, Kevin Moran – who later became a superintendent in the WA Police Force – along with some other locals, got together, and so a hotrod track was started near what is now the sewerage treatment plant on Mungalup Road.

“I raced Dad’s go-kart at the first meeting held at that track,” he says.

“I was only a kid of about 14, but I enjoyed it.

“There were no juniors, it was just everyone all in together.”

After several years, the hotrod track was wound down, but meanwhile the Collie Racing Drivers Association (CRDA) was formed and the Collie Speedway took over racing events in 1971.

“I was racing a Ford Zephyr by then,” Wayne says. “I was building a Valiant, but halfway through the year the specifications changed due to CRDA becoming affiliated with the Australian Saloon Car Federation.

“This had its good points, but did make it more expensive to race and be competitive.”

In 1974, Wayne along with Bill and Ray Jones, Rob Townsend and Joe Blundy, lobbied the powers that be to include a street stock division.

“We thought it was important to have a division where people could have fun and be competitive without having to outlay big money,” he says. “Our lobbying was successful, and in that first year the street stock division was allowed to race, but without any awards or championship points.

“Soon there were about 15 cars in the division, and championship points were introduced. I was fortunate to win the first Australian championship in that division.”

Wayne dipped in and out of speedway as family commitments and stints away for work came along. Eventually, the whole family became involved, with Wayne kept busy maintaining all the cars, racing and serving on the CRDA committee.

“I had terms as vice-president and secretary, and have been honoured with life membership of the CRDA,” he says. “During this time, I was also on the board of the WA Saloon Car Federation. The more involved you are in a club the more you get out of it.” we drove up the coast to Darwin and came back down the centre of Australia. We also did trips to Sydney, Murray Bridge and Mount Augustus.

Once “retired” from speedway, Wayne also retired officially from the workforce, finishing at Griffin Coal after more than 25 years of service.

“There was no radio or sound system. It was too noisy to have a conversation unless you shouted, and anyway I needed to listen out for any suspicious noises coming from the car. Every 500 kilometres I would need to get under the car to keep everything greased and oiled. It was all part of the fun.”

Eventually he had to sell the Model A. “The dog didn’t like the sound of the canvas roof flapping in the wind and the suspension wasn’t good for my back and neck,” he explains.

So he now has the Volkswagen, Falcon and Mercedes. “Driving round in a vintage car opens up all kinds of experiences that you might not otherwise have,” he says. “People spot your car and strike up conversations. We’ve been invited to see some amazing private collections and hear some wonderful stories. We have a caravan, but travelling with that’s a bit boring by comparison!”

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“I finished in October and they went into receivership in November, so you could say the place fell apart when I left,” he chuckles.

A bit more time meant he was able to indulge in his love of vintage cars.

“I bought a Model A Ford and did several road trips in it,” he says. “In 2016,

Ever the club man, Wayne is also very involved with the Veteran and Classic Car Club of WA, Collie branch. “We have made lasting friendships in the club,” he says. “I’m not getting any younger and there’s a lot more driving to do yet.”

And bigger sheds to dream about.

THE LOOKS AROUND BYSTANDER Double trouble

There are two school principals in town who are both married to midwives and both have three children. As much as we are loath to reveal a lady’s age, rumour has it all four of them are turning 40 next year. We wonder how many other similarities they have?

A hole in one movie

Having diligently saved their pocket money for weeks, two local children are very much looking forward to their first 'luxury cinema' experience this week.

Anything from popcorn to pizza to milkshakes, delivered right to your seat! Reclining chairs, free refills, limited seating, it is surely the high end of luxury.

Which is all very well and good but, "mum," asked the youngest, "how can we focus on the movie and driving at the same time? After much, much confusion and futher questioning mum had to break the news that it is a gold class cinema, not a golf cart cinema. We've all been there

A local two year old skipped her nap and when her mother asked why she couldn’t sleep all she had to say for herself was, “I thinking about cookies, mama."

A relatable issue.

Round 5

REWARDING: Mark Dagnall, who has been a volunteer with St John Ambulance for the past eight months, says it has been a rewarding experience.