mIcK50 Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 Does anyone have any info / stories about that very enigmatic South Aussie, Warren "Charlie" Monk? I had heard so much about him via papers and books from the UK, but it seemed that no one had heard of him here in the West ( Australia ) When he turned up here in Perth for a test match, I was telling everyone what a good rider he was and he didn't do much at all on the night..........except fall off in his first race! Also thanks to all who have responded to my earlier query re Johnny Chamberlain. So glad I found this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 I'm keeping out of this one after getting my Johnnies mixed up. :roll: I do remember Charlie Monk riding though - think it was for one of the Scottish clubs, probably Glasgow. Rode over here for a number of years and very successfully too. I'll leave all the statistics to someone more intelligent than me, who still have some working brain cells left. :? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnight_Lady Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 I'm keeping out of this one after getting my Johnnies mixed up. :roll: Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr could you rephrase that Gem otherwise Stevehone and Liontamer are going to have a field day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 I remember Charlie Monk in the late 60's when he rode for Glasgow. Reputation of being very quiet I think, I also remember reading that he had a profound dislike of having his picture taken. Finished his career in the late 70's riding for the Monarchs at Powderhall.Also spent time in the 70's at Halifax. Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevehone Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 Errrrrrrrrrrrrrr could you rephrase that Gem otherwise Stevehone and Liontamer are going to have a field day don't know what you're talking about ML.... the only Monk I know is Harry Monk :evil: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytiger Posted March 25, 2003 Report Share Posted March 25, 2003 Charlie a dour publicity shy figure,not the typical aussie.Married a yorkshire lass and lived in Dronfield Nr Sheffield for quite a few years. He rode for Glasgow for 4 years then rode a season at Owlerton,Sheffield. With a 10 pt average. Returned to Glasgow the following season then on to Halifax,Edinburgh,Barrow before retiring in 1978. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemini Posted March 26, 2003 Report Share Posted March 26, 2003 Thank you greytiger. I got the bit right about Glasgow then. Please excuse me everyone for going completely off the topic, but was it you who saw me and Pawprint at the Speedway Show and made yourself known? Nice to see you posting on here. not the typical aussie. Care to say what the typical Aussie is like? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Sir Lunchalot Posted March 26, 2003 Report Share Posted March 26, 2003 I remember Charlie Monk in the late 60's when he rode for Glasgow. Reputation of being very quiet I think, I also remember reading that he had a profound dislike of having his picture taken. Regards That would explain why all the pictures I've ever seen of Charlie had him looking surly and unhappy. From what I read of him he wasn't and I could never reconcile the difference. Oh and by the way, a typical Aussie is easy, total hunk, works hard all day, parties hard all night and makes love like Casanova ..... well nearly all those things anyway. :twisted: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lioness Posted March 26, 2003 Report Share Posted March 26, 2003 Oh and by the way, a typical Aussie is easy, total hunk, works hard all day, parties hard all night and makes love like Casanova ..... well nearly all those things anyway. :twisted: And there was me thinking you were an ex-pat Lunchy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytiger Posted March 26, 2003 Report Share Posted March 26, 2003 Thank you greytiger. I got the bit right about Glasgow then. Please excuse me everyone for going completely off the topic, but was it you who saw me and Pawprint at the Speedway Show and made yourself known? Nice to see you posting on here. not the typical aussie. C are to say what the typical Aussie is like? ;-) ;-) Thats right Gemini.It was a good day for face spotting.Friends hadn't seen for over 25 years.I even lost my voice talking that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclone Posted March 26, 2003 Report Share Posted March 26, 2003 Charlie Monk started off in the UK in 1962 riding for Trevor Redmond at Neath/St Austell. In 1963 he moved to Long Eaton and in 64 joined TR at Glasgow. IMO his peak season was 1965 when he again imo, closely ran Barry Briggs a close second as top BL rider. Was very unlucky not to qualify for World Final that year (a dubious exclusion in British Final ?) and I think he won the Internationale in 65 also. Eventually moved on to Sheffield & Halifax & rejoined Tigers @ Hampden in between. Rode for Monarchs in Powderhall opening season and seemed to be more comfortable with the fans. Finished his career at Barrow. I think he was unfairly stereotyped as surly - remember he gave me the most carefully written autograph on my prog at Meadowbank in 65. The guy was just shy and introverted at that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BTL Posted March 26, 2003 Report Share Posted March 26, 2003 Spot on Cylclone - Charlie was my hero when I first started attending speedway in 1966/7 at White City. He was painfully shy and rarely gave interviews on the centre green to the fans or take a lap of honour after winning a race. It certainly wasn't any disrespect to the fans, he prefered to do his talking on the track. I think that he ran Barry Briggs close in 1967 averages - did he not lead averages until last week of season? or was it earlier. It was an honour to have watched him ride for the Tigers both at White City and at Hampden. A true gentleman! RESPECT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mIcK50 Posted March 28, 2003 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2003 Thanks all. I seem to remember reading about Charlie Monk winning the Internationale. If my memory serves me correctly, ( and it doesn't these days ), the first 12 or 13 heats were won by something like 10 different riders! It must have been a cracker of a meeting! South Australian riders in the 60's and 70's didn't seem to get the credit due to them in this country, compared to the popularity of riders from New South Wales and to a lesser extent, Queensland. This even seemed to influence the officials running speedway in this country at the time. While riders like Jim Airey, Greg Kentwell, Bert Kingston and other east coast riders were almost automatic test match selections on the two Empire Speedways tracks, ( Brisbane and Sydney ), the selectors, in their infinite wisdom, one year, picked Geoff Mudge as a reserve against the English on his home track of Rowley Park in Adelaide. Even the captain of the English team was quoted in the local press when he expressed his suprise at this treatment of a very well regarded rider in the British league system at the time. I often wondered if this had something to do with the vast distances in this country. We rarely saw riders from other states and this seemed to encourage an inward- looking attitude to speedway in each state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian H Posted April 12, 2003 Report Share Posted April 12, 2003 I remember Charlie Monk well - Superstar of the White City (Glasgow version) and later on a Monarch in 1977 at Powderhall. Very quiet man one of the first riders to be really meticulous in his machine preparation. I remember he used to keep his engine oil in a vacuum flask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevem Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 great guy - think i only heard him talk about a dozen times in the whols season he spent at barrow in 1978. meticulous with his bikes - but was the mainstay in the season he rode he was friendly to the trackstaff tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevem Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 great guy - think i only heard him talk about a dozen times in the whols season he spent at barrow in 1978. meticulous with his bikes - but was the mainstay in the season he rode he was friendly to the trackstaff tho! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KIWIPIRATE Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 I had a huge homemade programme board, with all the BL team colours handpainted in Humbrol enamel, and the Pirates team signatures on a white panel in the centre. I asked Charlie for his signature on the Glasgow programme, which he duly gave and then spent about 5 minutes meticulously examining my board. He never said a word, but when he handed it back he gave me a big smile - it must have made an impression as I remember it very clearly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relic Posted July 15, 2003 Report Share Posted July 15, 2003 Charlie was the first Mega star that we had at Sheffield in the post 60's era. his shyness is legendry but so was his attention to detail with things mechanical. He was a rider with great style, could be hard but was always fair. I feel that he was at his best when riding his red painted Mattingly JAP, but started to strugle a bit when the JAWA's came on the seen. Even so it was a privalidge to have seen if not heard him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DW Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 Despite not seeing him ride for the Tigers,I would say he is one of the all time greats.He still holds the record for the best average in a season for Glasgow(1967) and is the second highest points scorer in Tigers' history. Yes, I believe he was robbed of a place in the 1965 World Final after being wrongly excluded for knocking off Ken McKinlay(an ex-Tiger!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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