5472 0033
www.wythes.com.au
COOROY RAG NEWSPAPER Community
Phone: 5442 6699
I
Email: editorial@cooroyrag.com.au
I
www.cooroyrag.com.au
July 20, 2016
FREE
Pomona preparing to crown its king for 2016
Labinsky Family - L-R Robert, Neil and Cameron. Neil is the uncle and Robert and Cameron are his nephews and they will be all back this year to race. Times in 2015 - Neil Labinsky 28:10; Cameron Labinsky 38:17; Robert Labinsky 40:10 IN and around Pomona, the countdown to 24 July has begun. For the 38th time, the Noosa hinterland town will host one of Australia’s most gruelling and historic mountain races. Unique in every way, the Pomona King of the Mountain Festival is one of those events that seems to build on its strong crowd numbers every year. Pomona King of the Mountain chairperson, Heather Manders said the festival remains one of the best opportunities for the community and visitors to get together in the hinterland. “Who would have thought a simple bet in a pub in 1958 would see us all here in 2016 preparing to cheer on amazing athletes and celebrate hard
Last year’s overall winner Hayden Wilde (from New Zealand) in a time of 25.42
working volunteers - particularly the Cooroy Pomona Lions Club?” Heather said. While the festival has now become a hallmark event for Pomona, its origins are typcs of a dare between mates at the local watering hole. In 1958, at the bar of the old Railway Hotel, local footballer and railway porter, Bruce Samuels casually claimed he ran to the top of Mount Cooroora in under an hour. His claim was met with jeers and scepticism, and hotel patrons were quick to raise the challenge of doing it again to an audience. The run was scheduled for March 22, 1958 and eager and confident punters placed their bets on a failed attempt. Astonished locals saw Samuels return in just
First woman home Leslie Saunders (from Pomona) in a time of 33.14
forty minutes to collect his hundred pound wager. His feat saw him become the town hero, and he was bestowed with the nicknamed ‘Hilary’ Samuels, his achievement recorded on the wall of the hotel bar. In 1959, this attracted the attention of 21 year hotel punter Barry Webb from Brisbane who declared that he could beat Samuel’s time, and a race was set for the following Saturday. Its small town location required little publicity to attract a sizeable crowd of spectators keen to compare the outcome. With a time of thirty-five minutes, Webb became the recipient of about 25 shillings from the passing around of the hat. A gracious Samuels was quick to congratulate Webb, but determined to reclaim
his title. He began training for a re-match scheduled for June 27 1959, and the rest as they say, is history. The legendary Pomona King of the Mountain race was born. Despite a twenty year hiatus until its resurrection by the Cooroy-Pomona Lions Club in 1979, the community-orientated King of the Mountain Festival continues to celebrate the great race and the achievements of its competitors. While the track is somewhat improved from the days of old, its treacherous climb and descent continues to attract athletes from around the world.
Continued on Page 3