The Beginning

Recollections of the founding and early years of the Grafton Sporting Car Club by Gordon Poynter

I had a sports car, an MG TF, which was my pride and joy. While I did enjoy driving the car, it was not enough. I wanted to participate in some form of organised motor sport to improve my driving skill. I had no knowledge of car clubs or the events they conducted. There was not a lot of car clubs established and none in existence in the Northern Rivers area so information on the formation and operation was not available to me.

I was aware that events such as hillclimbs, sprinted and navigation trials, as they were known as at the time, were conducted by car clubs for their members so I went exploring for a venue to conduct some form of a speed event. I discovered a gravel road that climbed a steep hill a short distance from South Grafton. The road turned off the Rushforth Road and apparently carried only the occasional vehicle. Without really having much idea of a hillclimb, I was convinced this road would make an ideal hillclimb site.

The Rushforth Hillclimb, as it became known, was to be the birthplace of the Grafton Sporting Car Club. In the following years, the Rushforth Hill was to become a legend in a region which had been denied any form of motor sport but one with a potential for motor sport participation well beyond contemplation. Some of the great drivers of that area would become regular competitors at the Rushforth Hill. The Holden drivers, Des West, John French and Max Volkers were regular Hillclimb competitors. Noel Hall started his motor racing career at the Rushforth Hill drive a Ralt. Ted Ansell from Sydney, in his late sixties driving a fiat Abarth became a popular regular competitor.

Having found a venue for a motor sporting event, I convinced a group of enthusiasts to join in a hillclimb. I did not seek the approval of the Police or any other authority to close the road or conduct a motor sport event. I really did not consider the need to approval as it was intended as a simple timed run up the hill from a standing start for each driver in turn.

I obtained a stop watch and made a starting flag and that was the limit of the equipment used. The timing was very basic. The starter positioned each car on the start line with the timekeeper in view of the start on the finish line at the top of the steeper section of the hill. Each run began as the starter dropped the flag, the timekeeper started the stopwatch and the time was recorded as the car crossed the finish line. Each competitor was given three timed runs and the times were averaged as that seemed to be the fairest process to compensate for timing errors.

There were twelve competitors who participated in Grafton’s first hillclimb on Sunday 19 June 1955. The fastest time of the day was 26.5 seconds set by Kethel Rooke driving his formidable EKR Ford Special, a car he built himself. The results were published in the Daily Examiner the following day. The event was judged an outstanding success by those who participated and the few spectators who watched. All were enthusiastic for another event and the possibilities of forming a sporting car club appeared strong. My expectations were for a club of about 20 members who could join in regular competition and gain knowledge of suitable types of motor sporting activities. I booked the Grafton Historical Society Rooms situated on the first floor of the former Town Hall building in Prince Street for a public meeting on Tuesday 28 June 1955. A Public Notice placed in the Daily Examiner invited interested people to attend. The historical Society Room was regularly used for public meetings as there was little else available. The location was central and no charge was made for meetings.

I was certainly pleased with the results of the meeting. The attendance was twenty one; the decision to form a sporting car club was reached with great enthusiasm and the ten Office Bearer positions were filled promptly by very willing members. The position of Secretary was place in my hands as the meeting insisted that as the initiator, I should carry the new Club forward through its initial year. The position of President was accepted by Merv Collens and the Treasurer’s position by Len Wenzel. The meeting name the new organisation the Grafton Sporting Car Club.

The new Club certainly lacked in experience. Only one of the enthusiasts attending the meeting had some knowledge of motor sport. John MacDonald, a new arrival in Grafton to establish and architectural practice, had been a member of his University’s car club while a student. The other twenty had never participated in any form of motor sporting activity. Lack of experience was to prove no obstacle at all as the year ahead was to see the Grafton Sporting Car Club quickly establish itself as well organised and very active motor sporting club with a membership of seventy one.

A Club Constitution was considered an immediate requirement. I had no knowledge of Club Constitutions so I made contact with the Orange Light Car Club who were helpful with advice and a copy of their Club’s Constitution. This was suitably amended and presented for adoption at a General meeting held again at the Historical Rooms on Monday 8 August 1955.

The design of a car badge and lapel badge prepared by John MacDonald were presented to this meeting. The design was based on the wire spoke with a large knock off cap displaying the Brooklands steering wheel and the lettering G S C C . The Club name was displayed on the tyre section of the badge.

The symbols used were strongly representative of motor racing in that era. This badge is an outstanding design and remains the symbol of the Club today. The original badges were manufactured by K G Luke in Melbourne and were eagerly sought by members. In fact there were motorists who joined the Club simply to obtain this badge to mount on the badge bar of their car.

The Club was advised to form as a Company Limited by Guarantee under the Companies Act. This was common practice at the time for sporting clubs to limit the liability of members. The assistance of Eric Radcliffe and David Lobban of Grafton Solicitors, Lobban Craig and Radcliffe was sought in the preparation of the Articles of Association and the registration of the Club as a Limited Company. Through the generosity of these solicitors, the registration was arranged at almost no cost to the club and on 22 November 1955 the Club was incorporated as a company. Another generous offer was made by jack Hockey of Hockey Shoe Store to provide the club with a Club Room conveniently located in Price Street above the Shoe Store without charge. This offer was very helpful in providing the Club with facilities for regular meetings.

These actions were typical of the cooperation received from business houses in Grafton to assist the Club to establish itself on a strong footing. Civic leaders and the Police also provided good support. It was very encouraging to the Club to have such strong support. The Club was recognised as meeting a real need in the community in providing a controlled outlet for motorists, particularly the younger ones to improve driving skills and participate in organised activities.

During the first year, the Club was very active in conducting a range of competitive and social events generally at monthly intervals. The first event conducted by the Grafton Sporting Car Club on 24 July 1955 was a Navigation Trial as this type of event was known at the time. I undertook the organisation of this event without really having any idea how to proceed. I began with a Military Map of the district and using a Roto meter to meter distances, established a course for the event and recorded he control pointed and then set average speeds for the sections. Route instructions were prepared and control point officials arranged. I did not survey the actual course at any stage. It was fortunate that none of the competitors had experience with trials and were keenly interest in their first motor sport event.

Twenty two entries were received for the event and all competitors completed the mainly gravel roads of the course without serious difficulty even though changes to some of the road and turn off points had been made since World War 2 vintage maps have been printed. A trophy for the outright winner was donated by Arthur Robinson Century Batteries, the two class winner trophies by Gordon L Wood and George Weiley and a 3 car time winner trophy was donated by Reg Morris. The outright winner was Club President Merv Collens driving a VauxhallVelox. The event was declared an outstanding success by Club members and I never did reveal the method of route selection. I do look back on my first attempt with some embarrassment. It was a very amateurish starting point but the Club quickly developed event organising skills and each event was well received by the members.

The Club’s first gymkhana was held on 28 August 1955 at the South Grafton aerodrome. This event was organised by Club Treasurer Len Wenzel. This event was followed on 9 October by a 250 mile navigation trial. Results from these events have not been found.

A further two navigation trials were held during 1955 to complete the first six months since foundation with four events. Each event had seen enthusiastic participation from a rapidly increasing membership of motorist who welcomed their first opportunity to complete in motor sport events.

A more ambitious program was prepared for the 1956 year with an event for each month. Events were competitive in the form of navigation trials and gymkhanas and social outings in the form of treasure hunts and film evenings at the Club room.

At the end of the second year since formation, there was a noticeable drop in the initial enthusiasm that had sustained the Club during the initial year. Membership had declined from 71 to 43 as some members who had tried motor sport for the first time decided it was not a sport they wished to pursue further. Competitive events, such as navigation trials and hillclimbs were run on gravel road surfaces. There were members who were concerned with driving on unsealed road because of the higher risk of damage to their cars. Bitumen sealed road surfaces were not common 50 years ago. Large sections of the Pacific Highway were not bitumen and main roads such as the road from Grafton to Casino, Armidale to Glen Innes were almost entirely heavily corrugated gravel roads.

At the second Annual General Meeting held in September 1957, the Club was in a sound position and an essential part of the sporting life of the Clarence Valley. I had completed two years as Secretary and retired from that position to accept the position of Club President for the following two years. The first two years of Club activity are summarised in the First and Second Annual Reports presented at the Annual General Meetings. These reports are now historic documents as they record the Foundation Members, the Office Bearers and the Members for the first two years of the Grafton Sporting Car Club.

The Rushforth Hillclimb

The first club hillclimb on the Rushforth Road hill was held on 22 April 1956. Timing equipment had been built so it was no longer necessary to have the finish line in sight of the start. This enabled the original course to be lengthened to include two curves and extend the climb well beyond the sight of the start line. The length of the course was recorded as 0.63 miles which is 1014 metres. The clock for the timing system was a 2 second sweep stopwatch enabling timing to one hundredth of a second and traffic lights were positioned to control the start. Twenty four members entered for this closed event and the Daily Examiner reported 350 spectators enjoyed the event. Fastest time of the day went to Kethel Rooke driving his EKR Ford. The time of 43.9 seconds established the first record for the Rushforth Hill. The trophy for the outright winner was donated by George Weiley and points were awarded to the placegetters in the 5 classes forming part of the Annual Point Score Trophy donated by Dr Hugh Harris.

The second Club hillclimb, held on Sunday 29 October 1956, formed an official part of the Jacaranda Festival program. The Daily Examiner reported a crowd of 600 spectators. The Jacaranda Queen, Narelle Drinkwater, was driven over the course at competition speed by Kethel Rooke, driving his EKR Special. The Matron of Honour and the Jacaranda Princesses were also treated to the same experience in other competitor’s cars. Tom Cronin was the most spectacular driver of the day with his very fast but well controlled slide around the final bend. His exploits in his Holden earned him the title of “Leadfoot”. The day proved to be expensive for me driving my MG TF. An excess of exuberance led me to exceed peak engine revs resulting in a dropped valve which destroyed the piston. Fastest time of the day of 44.7 seconds was again recorded by Kethel Rooke.

The first open hillclimb was held on 27 October 1957. This event, on the first Sunday of the Jacaranda Festival, was again included in the Official Jacaranda Festival program. The Club had been granted full affiliation with the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport after serving a one year probation period so was able to accept entries from other clubs for the first time. This event marked the first appearance of the 69 year old Sydney driver, Ted Ansell, driving his much admired Fiat Abarth. Noted Brisbane driver, Max Volkers, (Holden) and Club member Noel Hall in his Vincent powered Ralt were also appearing for the first time. A total of 25 entries were received. The Daily Examiner reported a crowd of 2500 attended the event. Fastest time of the day went to Kethel Rooke driving his EKR Ford breaking his previous record set in April 1956 with a time of 43.1 seconds. Noel Hall driving a newly acquired car recorded a time of 43.4 seconds. Club member Tom Cronin in a Holden recorded the third fastest time with 46.1 seconds to beat the experienced Brisbane Holden driver Max Volkers in the Sedan Car Class.

The Rushforth Hillclimb was a narrow gravel surfaced road with the typical pronounced camber of rural road. It was a very challenging course and experienced competitors who had previously competed only on bitumen surfaces had difficulty adjusting their driving technique to record times equal to less experienced drivers who had competed on the Rushforth Hill at the previous closed events.

An open hillclimb was again held as part of the Jacaranda Festival on 2 November 1958. The Daily Examiner reported a crown of several thousand. The Club had prepared the road surface prior to the event at weekend working bees and a water truck was available to water the course at the end of each complete run. The improved track conditions resulted in very fast times and records were broken in every class. Once class record was lowered by 11 seconds; Des West from Wingham lowered the Sedan Class over 1600cc record to 42 seconds. Kethel Rooke was again prominent in the results with a new Sports Car record of 39.1 seconds. Fastest time of the day and a new outright record went to Noel Hall driving the Ralt with a time of 34.9 seconds. These times are remarkably fast for the 1014 metre gravel surfaced hill with a steep initial section and two sweeping bends to the finish.

The final event on Rushforth Hillclimb course as held on 8 November 1959. This event was titled the North Coast Hillclimb Championships and was again a part of the Jacaranda Festival program. The reason for the abandonment of this now legendary hillclimb is not recorded. The probable explanation is approval for the use of this section of public road was no longer available although the Club continued to use other public roads for quarter mile sprint events until 1963.

Spectator safety was a major concern as crowds of up to 3000 lined each side of the course with no barrier separating spectators from competing vehicles. Spectator behaviour was exceptionally good and directions given by Club marshals were followed in good spirit. Marshals were distinctly dressed in white overalls with the Club title across the back in red lettering. Spectators stood as close as 4 to 5 metres from a competing car and were crowded 3 to 4 deep. Cars were reported at speeds exceeding 80 mph (130 kph) on he final section of the climb. It was testimony to the driving skills of the competitors on the gravel surface that the many events on this hill were concluded without any major incident.

Twenty three entries for this event competed in 3 sedan classes, 2 sports car classes and a racing car class. The absence of Kethel Rooke driving his EKR Ford cast a shadow over the results. Kethel became ill while competing in a hillclimb at Kempsey and died later that day in Kempsey Hospital. The Club had lost a stalwart and motor sport a great competitor. Fastest time of the day was set by John Hough driving the Ralt recently acquired by Noel Hall. The time was 36.08 seconds. Brisbane driver John French in a Repco Holden lowered the Sedan Car over 1500cc class record by more than 5 seconds. French’s record time was 37.88 seconds. The previous class record, held by Des West, was 42.0 seconds. Ted Ansell at the age of 71 again was a competitor, this time in a NSU Prinz. The Jacaranda Queen, Barbara Burgess and the Official Party attended the event. The final Rushforth Hillclimb was described by the Daily Examiner as the Club’s most successful event..

The Rushforth hill is a sad sight today. The section of the road from the turn off from the main road to beyond the start line has vanished. In its place is now a deep gully several hundred metres in width caused by major erosion. The remaining road surface is in a neglected state and the fence once used for the timing system connection and spectator boundary has been removed. It is hard to imagine that crowds of several thousand people once watched in awe as the intrepid competitors, driving on the limits of control on the heavily cambered and uneven gravel surface, roared up the hill leaving a cloud of red dust at speeds exceeding 130 pkh. Competitors and spectators were not deterred by the lack of facilities as none of any sort was available. The events were held during a Sunday afternoon and consisted of three timed runs for up to 25 competitors so were usually concluded within2 to 3 hours. The Club sold programs for one shilling to support the event.

Quarter Mile Sprints

Speed events were the preferred form of motor sport for both organisers and competitors. The Club turned to quarter mile sprints after the Rushforth Hillclimbs were no longer available. The date of the first quarter mile sprint meeting is not recorded but I can remember searching for a section of level sealed road that would be suitable for this type of event. The answer came in the form of gear’s Lane as it was then named; it is now named Great Marlow Road. It has a narrow sealed straight section with a slight uphill grade and, at the time, carried little traffic. Approval was received to use the road for sprint events providing through traffic was allowed to proceed with minimal delay.

Although a number of sprints were held on this course, the only known results were published in the Racing Car news for a meeting held on 10 September 1961. Fastest time of the day was recorded by Noel Hall driving his Cooper Climax. The time was a very fast 13.21 seconds. John Hough was second fastest driving the HWM Jaguar in a time of 14.56 seconds; sixteen entries were received for this event which was the final event held on this course.

Sprints were relocated to the Old Glen Innes Road as this provided better vantage areas for spectators and a better road surface for competitors. The results of the first meeting on this course on 6 May 1962 were published in the Daily Examiner the following day. Twenty three competitors were given three times runs on the slightly downhill course. There were two entries from Sydney, three from Kempsey and six form Coffs harbour. Fastest time of the day was recorded by Les Weiley Driving an MG TC. The time was 17.34 seconds. The report stated that several hundred spectators lined the course.

A second sprint meeting was held on this course in December of the same year and the results were again published the following day. Class records were broken in every class and a new outright record was set by Bob Rawsthorne driving the HWM Jaguar in GT form in a time of 15.4 seconds. The car was entered by Geary Sports Cars of Brisbane, having recently bought the car from Bob Rawsthorne. Competitors came from Brisbane, Lismore, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey and Inverell together with the Grafton entries indicating the willingness of entrants to travel long distances on road that were generally poor by today’s standard for three runs at a Sunday afternoon event..

The final quarter mile sprint event held on this course was on 26 May 1963. Motor sport speed events on public roads had finally come to an end. This event attracted a field of 33 entries, again from Brisbane and northern and north west NSW. A new course record was set by Noel Hall driving a Renmax. The previous record was lowered by 2 seconds with a time of 13.4 seconds. The report recorded Noel’s speed at the finish line exceeding 120 mph. The proceeds of this event were donated to the Grafton District Nursing Service.

Snippets from the days at Mountainview by Ken Norton

The year was 1964 and the construction of the Mountainview Hillclimb was taking place with much help from hired and borrowed earthmoving equipment. A 584 yard hillclimb was created, and on 4 April 1965 the very first hillclimb event took place. A few dramas arose on the day. The track surface was very loose and slippery as it was fresh bitumen and aggregate.

The start line deteriorated and it was not long before a concrete starting pad was laid to prevent the breakup of the surface, this we believe was early 1966. In 1986 the first concrete pad was replaced and the rear was inscribed on the pad.

The timing in the early years was conducted adjacent to the start line, which was noisy to say the least in the rather primitive structure. It consisted of a concrete pad, and we think, a shelter type roof. Many years passed before this timing hut was bricked in and louvers filled the font of the building.

1967 saw the installation of the famous bus which was placed at the top of the hill where timekeepers were able to monitor vehicle movements with more safety. This allowed them to view both the start and finish lines and all in between.

However, on 27 June 1986, the bus was removed and a more permanent structure was built by Bill Norton and helpers. On completion, the building was handed over to the then president, Graeme Green, at no cost to the Club and is still in use today.

The Grafton Scout Group held a billy kart derby at the circuit on 11 June 1987

Canteens have also progressed with time. In the early days, a tent was used as the place to serve food and drinks to spectators and competitors. This was situated in the pit area near the start line. The sport was growing, spectator and competitor numbers increased – those motor sport enthusiasts were emerging from afar. Due to the increasing demand, a permanent building was erected down near the start line on 30 May 1970, built once again by Bill Norton. All of the material for this building was donated by Corbett Timbers, a local sawmill at Koolkhan.

This building met its demise with white ants and needed to be replaced. In 1985 a canteen which consisted of concrete pad, four posts and a roof was once again erected by Bill Norton and crew on the ridge, east of the starting area. This building has been upgraded over the years and is now fully enclosed. The roof area feeds a 20,000 litre water tank which serves as our supply to the canteen and toilet/shower block (built in 1988). Those who helped build the amenities may remember that we hired a back hoe for the septic tank. It was going well until it was time to get the machine out. Unable to do this, the machine was taken down hill, very precariously at times, and at some acute angles, but it didn’t fall over. What a relief to see it back on level ground at the bottom of the gully! Who was the operator? Only those working would know.

We were always looking for materials that did not cost much or were free and the water container that served us well for many years (up until 1996) was an old concrete agitator bowl blanket at one end and mounted via a wooden frame. Unfortunately, it leaked badly and had to be repaired.

In 1992 we conducted our first national meeting, the Australian Hillclimb Championships. This was run over four days and some statistics included:

• 2280 cans of cordial
• 170 loaves of bread
• 300 hot dogs
  
• 650 hamburgers
  
• 420 steak sandwiches
  
• 300 sausage sandwiches
  
• 6kg of margarine
  
• 2 ½ bags of onions
  
• 20kg of tomatoes
  
• 20 kg of beetroot
  
• 17 lettuces
  
• 8 litres of tomato sauce
  
• 216 packets of potato chips
  
• 558 Mars Bars

From 1965 to 1985, the property was leased from then owners, Cecil and Muriel Grebert. The property was sold to a group of Grafton businessmen in the 70’s and in 1985 the land was once again placed on the market. Through various fund raising activities, donations and member’s loans, the Grafton Sporting Car Club was able to purchase part of the 87 acres. In consultation with Copmanhurst Shire, the portion was then divided into two lots, 57 and 30 acres. The club was in a position to pay $22,500 for the 57 acre lot, only half of the $45,000 total cost. This did ease the situation at the time, but was still a burden for those involved. The balance of the 30 acres was purchased by a club member who had the building entitlement for that portion. He eventually sold, and then we had new neighbours. In 1990, the club made the decision to reconstruct the track. This would facilitate the circuit being used for events other than hillclimbs.

With the gentle persuasion of some heavy earthmoving equipment, and the tireless dedication of a handful of faithfuls, Mountainview was transformed into the multi-purpose motor sport facility currently in operation. This 12 months transformation was completed in 1991 when Gordon Poynter, a founding member of the Grafton Sporting Car Club, officially opened the facilities. And so began the association between the hillclimb and the sprint kart circuit.

Once this started we were faced with a problem of extra activity and that meant more noise from our facility. This was overcome; however, we are still limited to the days the facility can now be used.

Now we had this magnificent facility, we were again on the lookout for a building to house lap scorers, announcers etc… Through good fortune, still a little unsure how, it just so happened that a timber building became available at the South Grafton rodeo grounds. We needed a semi trailer with an earthmoving float, a 30 tonne crane and many hands to make the move happen. The op section was removed and placed on one truck, and then the 20 tonne building was raised and lowered onto the float. We were then faced with which way to go! From the rodeo grounds we went west to the Copmanhurst Road, then back along the Clarence Way to Mountainview. It all seemed too easy. At Whiteman Creek Bridge the load was too wide. The beams that supported the building 9railwayline which was again donated) had to be moved diagonally across the truck to allow access across the bridge. This was resolved and we were off again to Mountainview where it now sits proudly and very suitable for the job. Our enormous thanks to Des Yager for the truck and float and Wicks and Parker for the crane, and I believe at not much cost. Bill Norton had all the piers laid prior to the building arriving on-site, which made the job a lot easier.