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Kangaroos In Speedway League In Britian


Puma23

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Very good - that's him. What a great name!

 

Surely, McDonald and Thistlewaite were the only Papuas ever to ride in Britain.

 

Do You remember for which club McDonald rode? I seem to remember that he broke his leg in a crash on a British track, which ended his speedway career.

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I remember Fred 'Tracker' Tracey very well. He came to Coventry when they reopened after the war and - I think - may have also turned out for Hull. He was also in Britain in pre-1939.

 

In later years, Tracey was promoter at Melbourne.

 

As a rider, Tracey was highly rated in Australia but never showed that form in Britain. I think he rode for Australia in test matches down-under?

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I've just had a message from a friend of mine - and Norwich expert - Bryan Tungate to say:

 

REG HAY, from Tasmania, who rode for Norwich and Newcastle

MICK SIMMONS (Melbourne?) who had a season at Norwich in the 50s

 

Reg Hay did it all- raced on the grass, the concrete and the dirt.

 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned another Tasmanian who went to England - Percy Bryant.

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I can now confirm that 1930 was the first year Tiger Hart and Steve Langton went to England.

The interesting thing about Steve Langton is that in the report of his first meeting at Eastbourne his style of riding is remarked upon as he was using a foot-forward style unlike everyone else who, were, of course, leg trailing.

Edited by norbold
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The interesting thing about Steve Langton is that in the report of his first meeting at Eastbourne his style of riding is remarked upon as he was using a foot-forward style unlike everyone else who, were, of course, leg trailing.

 

That is interesting Norbold.

 

Steve was a great character. He loved nothing better than to get away from it all and go prospecting.

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Did You know that he (Tiger Lewis) rode speedway in Singapore in 1930?

 

Does anyone know anything about speedway in Singapore? Seems to be a pretty much fogotten chapter in the history of speedway!

 

By the way, Jack Sharp was another Aussie advertised to race at the Singapore Speedway in June of 1930.

 

Do You Aussie history experts have any details about Singapore Speedway?

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Here's some pioneer Australians from 1928 - don't know if they rode in the subsequent 1929 season's Southern or Northern Leagues:

 

Irvin Jones, Keith McKay, William James Pomroy.

 

I believe there is a mention somewhere on this site that McKay was later killed in an accident in Australia but cannot seem to find it.

 

They were in group with the promoter AJ Hunting from Fremantle, Australia, that also included Billy Galloway, Buzz Hibberd, Paddy Dean and the legendary American Lloyd 'Sprouts' Elder.

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Here's some pioneer Australians from 1928 - don't know if they rode in the subsequent 1929 season's Southern or Northern Leagues:

 

Irvin Jones, Keith McKay, William James Pomroy.

 

I believe there is a mention somewhere on this site that McKay was later killed in an accident in Australia but cannot seem to find it.

 

They were in group with the promoter AJ Hunting from Fremantle, Australia, that also included Billy Galloway, Buzz Hibberd, Paddy Dean and the legendary American Lloyd 'Sprouts' Elder.

 

The name was Irvine Jones.

 

Galloway, Hibberd, Dean and Elder were not in A. J.'s party of riders which left Fremantle on that famous voyage of the Oronsay. A. J. wasn't on board the Oronsay either, he was in England at the time his group of riders sailed from Fremantle.

 

Keith McKay was fatally injured at the end of 1928.

 

Paddy Dean wasn't in Britain in 1929.

 

If you want to find out when Dean & Elder left Australia, and details of their racing leading up to their departure for England, it's on the Australian Speedway History webpage. Also on the webpage is an account of the racing of Vic Huxley and Dick Smythe just prior to their departure.

 

I'll point you to the relevant sections on the webpage if you want to follow it up.

 

 

Ross Garrigan

Australian Speedway History

http://www.ausm.info/aus_history/ashist_header.htm

Edited by Ross Garrigan
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Thanks for the correction. These facts were on a piece of paper I was given about 40 years ago.

 

It does however now date another piece of information that I have concerning Keith McKay and Paddy Dean.

 

Now, what can you tell me about a post-war Aussie named Bill Harris. I know his tracks in England but I drew a blank trying to find out his Australian career.

 

 

Harris was in England from 1947 to the early 1950s (probably 1953) and also raced in France and Belgium in those years.

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Just remembered another - Ray Caruana (Oxford, I believe).

 

Steve

 

Good on Ya chunky... I still think we have missed 20 or 30 riders ;)

Don Howerson.....

(spelt wrong no doubt) he was always hard to beat @ Headon Greta, I loved the look of his KSS so much, I went out and got one within 4 weeks of meeting him :lol: ........ I think Don went to the UK... anyone confirm?

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