Sport
www.gippslandtimes.com.au
Rosedale Speedway turns 50 In the 1970s and 80s, Rosedale was one of the premier venues for speedway sedan racing in Australia with the annual assic Coca-Cola Cla i and d y attracting Trader’s Derby competitors froom across the nation. Rosedale hossted another Austrralian title in 2003 when Stephen Laidlaw successfully defended his national n dan Production Seda championship in his VK Commodorre. as also The track ha been the venue for many Vicctorian championships over the past ffive decades. Sixteen-yearr-old Kevin Andrew ws, now a federal MP, was the coursee commentator for the first meeting, a rolee he filled for much of the first decade off racing. He was also the race caller at Glenmaggie Speedboat Racing and Wattle Speedw way among other venues v in the 1970s and 80s. Racing returned Rosedale January d tto R d l iin J following COVID restrictions and wet weather with local driver Daniel Stewart winning the Col Smith Memorial for standard saloons. The Mini Sprintcar Gold Cup will be contested at the next meeting on March 19.
A teenage Kevin Andrews, now a federal MP, calls the action at Rosedale Speedway in the 1970s. Inset: The program from the first ever meeting at the Rosedale Speedway on February 27, 1972. Photos: Contributed.
mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • Th and Times • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Ti a mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • Th m and Times • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Ti a mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • m and Times • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland TTii a mes • The Gippsland Times • The Gippsland Times • Th m T and an a d Ti Time mess • Th me The e Gi Gipp ppsl slan lan and d Ti Time mess • Th me The e Gi Gipp ppsl slan lan and d Ti mes • The he Gip ipps p la land d Times imes • The he Gip ipps p la land d Times imes • TTh h and an a d Ti Time mess • Th The e Gi Gipp ppsl pp slan and d Ti Time mess • Th The e Gi Gipp ppsl pp slan and d Ti Ti mes • The Gip ipps pps psla land and nd Tim imes es • Th The Gip Gip ipps psla land nd Tim imes es • Th Th and an a d Ti Time mess • Th me The e Gi G pp Gip p sl ppsl s an sla and Ti and Tm Tim mes me ess • Th The he G Gipp Gi ppsl pp slan sl and an d Ti Ti mes • The Gippsland m sl nd d Times Tim mes • TThe he G Gippsland ippsla Times • Th T
Twilight athletics meet full of personal bests
With the scheduled Little Athletics Victoria Region Track and Field Event at Berwick, Sale Little Athletics Club held a Twilight athletics meet on Wednesday, February 9. Photo: Contributed
WITH the scheduled Little Athletics Victoria Region Track and Field Event at Berwick, Sale Little Athletics Club held a twilight athletics meet on Wednesday, February 9. A modified program saw athletes have a 100m sprint race, 200m run, a jump and a throw. Another 45 Personal Bests (PBs) were added to the season tally. Maddison Mizzi achieved four PBs. Archer Benfield, Harley McKenzie, Zaxton Relecker, Kobe Parsons, Melina Beanland and Thomas Johns all achieved three PBs. Another Sale LAC centre record was broken. Kobe Parsons broke the U11 boys’ shotput with a throw of 10.39m.
PROUDLY Y BROUGHT TO YOU BY THESE PARTICIPATING G LOCAL BUSINESSES
Sudoku No. 0094
Crossword No. 8470 S T R C A D D E A R R T R E S D I A N M
O P R R O B F E I D N A D L I M S P I L T E
S S P A O V E R L R O S A R E D R U N R E C I R E V E L U C E D T E N S C R A O S E M E D G E R S E S
C R E D I T R E P O S E
This record has stood since 2001 and Parsons added 41cm to it. Another five athletes achieved their silver PB level by reaching 15 PBs. Zaxton Relecker U10, Maddison Mizzi U11, Kobe Parsons U11, Victoria Adams U12 and Taylah Mizzi U12 achieved 15 PBs between them. Sale athletes compete in the Multi Round at the weekend. The Junior Alberta Scoring System will be in place to determine age group champions. Placing ribbons will be awarded at each event. Overall age group champions will receive first, second and third medals at the end of the season.
Want to know more? ? 74 Macalister Street, Sale
Editorial/News Tel: (03) 5143 9345 news@gippslandtimes.com.au Display Advertising Tel: (03) 5143 9309 advertising@gippslandtimes.com.au Accounts/Classifieds Tel: (03) 5143 9333 classifieds@gippslandtimes.com.au
s n o i t u Sol
E E E A R L L A I T E I N G N E E A M A R S C L A R D V E R
OFFICE HOURS Sale:
Target Time No. 0094
8.30am-5pm
DISPLAY ADVERTISING DEADLINES Tuesday Issue: Booking/Copy - 10am Thursday prior. Friday Issue: Booking/Copy - 10am Tuesday prior.
cafe, caftan, face, facet, facia, fact, fain, faint, fanatic, fanciest, fane, fascia, fasciae, fasciate, FASCINATE, fascine, fast, fasten, fate, feast, feat, fecit, feint, feta, fiance, fiat, fiesta, fine, finest, fisc, fist, infect, infest, naif, safe, sift, tafia. Target: Average - 18, Good - 22, Excellent - 30+
Monday to Friday
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING DEADLINES Tuesday Issue: Friday Issue:
9.30am Monday prior 9.30am Thursday prior
PRIME CONTACTS General Manager: Editor: Advertising Manager:
Bruce Ellen Gregor Mactaggart Matthew Fitzgerald
Published by Bruce Ellen, 74 Macalister Street, Sale for Southern Newspapers Pty Ltd, Regional Publishers (Victoria) Pty Ltd ACN 007215287 and printed by Latrobe Valley Express Partnership, 21 George Street, Morwell. Print Post registration 34351300005.
GP1638202
GP1628944
THIS month marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Rosedale Speedway. A crowd of 3753 motor sports fans attended the opening meeting of the new raceway on February 27, 1972. Feature races were won by Rosedale’s Ken Taylor in an EH Holden and Morwell’s Graeme Monds in a Mark II Zephyr. Speedway boomed in Gippsland in the 1960s and 70s with tracks opening at Nyora, Garfield, Moe, Morwell, Rosedale, Bairnsdale, Nowa Nowa and briefly at Heyfield. A track was later constructed at Drouin. Today four remain: Nyora, Drouin, Rosedale and Bairnsdale. Following the closure of the Rosedale horse racing club in 1969, which had operated for a century, a group of local motorsports enthusiasts set about building a speedway at the venue in 1971. Led by Traralgon business proprietor, Dave Williams, the new club set about constructing the one-third mile oval track. Existing buildings at the racecourse, including the administration block, grandstand, canteen, and broadcast and judge’s boxes were incorporated into the new facility. The then wooden track fence was partially completed for the inaugural meeting, with an open area in the back straight. The wooden retaining wall was subsequently replaced by a concrete structure. Speedway racing proved popular with large crowds attending the monthly Sunday afternoon meetings. Lighting was installed in 1979 and the venue switched to Saturday night programs. Further upgrades have been undertaken over the years, including a new surface, catchment fence and race control centre. A year after opening, the track attracted the best modified production sedan drivers in Australia for the annual two-day Coca Cola Classic. The race was first won by Australian champion, David House, from Canberra driving an XU1 Torana. House won the race again in 1975. In 1980, the track hosted the Australian Sedan Championship, won by Queensland driver, Arthur Wiedon, driving a Ford Cortina. It was the first of four national titles that the Toowoomba driver would win.
Times-Spectator, Tuesday, 22 February, 2022 – Page 31
