With the 100th anniversary of the Australian Grand Prix approaching, we thought it would be of interest to look at photographs taken at Phillip Island of some of the old racers shortly after the Golden Jubilee celebration on the Island.
After the highly successful GOLDEN JUBILEE celebration of the AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX held on Phillip Island in March 1978, some of the older LIGHT CAR CLUB of AUSTRALIA members made an annual pilgrimage to Phillip Island to reminisce, have lunch and a drive around the original track used for the 1928 100-MILES ROAD RACE – a race which was to be perpetuated as the first Australian Grand Prix. These pleasurable events were the idea of brothers Bill and Jim Leech and dreamed up at a regular Friday convivial lunch at the club premises in Queens Road, Melbourne.
On this particular day we can see, clockwise from the front left, Peter de Wolf, Bill Leech, David Anderson, unknown, John Ould, Arnold Terdich, Ron Rawson, Ron Edgerton and Jim Leech. Bill had competed on the original Phillip Island track before the war and Jim had attended with him. The brothers’ enthusiasm led to the erection of corner signage naming each corner. In 1978 we did multiple commemorative laps of it on the Saturday of the Golden Jubilee celebration The track was unchanged from pre-war, apart from bituminisation. During that weekend a commemorative brass plaque was unveiled at Heaven Corner. See this lengthy pice on the 1928 AGP; https://primotipo.com/2020/05/28/1928-100-miles-road-race-phillip-island/
The names of the corners are of interest. The start-finish line was on the southern-most straight which led quickly to Heaven Corner. ‘Heaven’, because the previous and last corner was Hell, as it was approached downhill at maximum speed. (Hope Bartlett claimed he reached 130mph in 1931 driving his Type 37A Bugatti on this downhill stretch through ‘The Bridge of Sighs’). The next corner, just a short walk from Cowes, was named Young and Jacksons as it was nearest to the Isle of Wight Hotel, recognizing the pub of that name conveniently place opposite Flinders Street Railway Station in Melbourne. The south-east corner was Gentle Ann, named for a memorable local maiden. The track was 6 miles in length – this figure having been arrived at by a gentleman seated in a dray, drawn by a horse. To the large diameter wheel of the dray, he had nailed a flap of leather which hit his foot on each rotation and, knowing the diameter of the wheel, he was able to calculate the track’s length. Subsequent survey proved that this method was highly accurate. As the roads were unsealed, the racer’s nightmare was dust, dust so thick that in places they steered by the tops of the trees.
In the mid-eighties photographs were taken of attendees at the LCCA commemorative events at Phillip Island. As he is absent from the photos, it is likely they were taken by Jim Leech – they are representative of three visits to the Island. We felt that these photographs should be shared.
A group photograph with the secretary of the LCCA, Ian McKnight in the foreground. L to R: John Whiting of the Luxton family, Arthur Terdich, winner of the 1929 AGP, David Anderson, an LCCA official, Les Murphy, two times AGP winner, 1935 and 1936, Jack Ould (known as Jack Ancient to distinguish him from the LCCA president, John Ould), David Watson, Bob Chamberlain, with Barney and Bess Dentry flanking him, Bill Chamberlain, Ron Edgerton, unknown, Bob King and Peter Menere
The ever-engaged Bob Chamberlain with Barney Dentry.
The extraordinary, avant-garde Chamberlain 8 leaves the line in a haze of screaming two-stroke fuel and exhaust music, Jim Hawker at the wheel. Rob Roy June 1946.
See here for more on this spaceframe, front-wheel drive, supercharged two-stroke engined rocket; https://primotipo.com/2015/07/24/chamberlain-8-by-john-medley-and-mark-bisset/
The equally inquisitive Bill Chamberlain, more on the Chamberlains here; https://primotipo.com/2022/11/05/chamberlain-indian/
Bess Dentry, noted for her enthusiasm and capabilities as a co-driver/spotter/mechanic.
Bess and Barney Dentry alongside their ever-evolving Riley Brooklands at Wirlinga, Albury in March 1938. More about this formidable combination here; https://primotipo.com/2023/04/07/barney-and-bess-dentry/
Jack Godbehear, Barney and Bob King.
Godbehear attacking Rob Roy on November 3, 1959, JBS JAP 298cc. Jack Goldsmith Godbehear was a legendary mechanic/engineer/mentor to drivers such as Jim McKeown and Tony Stewart. He taught driver/mechanics like Larry Perkins and Peter Larner many of his principles and tricks in his Park Orchards shed, the dyno of which upset the bucolic splendour of the outer Melbourne suburb on many a fine day.
The inspiration for these visits, Bill Leech, at right with Jack. Bill and Jim Leech were pillars of the Melbourne business and motorsport establishment, their creative, competitive, political and organisational skills were all over the successes of the Light Car Club of Australia for a half-century. One can’t overstate their contribution behind the wheel or boardroom table.
Bill Leech at Lakeland hillclimb in the 1970s, Bugatti T37A.
‘Memories’, Len Sydney and his brother reminiscing about when they raced motorcycles on the 20-mile track that went north as far as Rhyll (Phillip Island).
Ace drivers and preparers Reg Nutt and Otto Stone.
Otto Stone working on an MG Q-Type with Verna Davey-Milne looking on. Stone was another life-long competitor/engineer with influence across the sport not least preparing – and calming down a bit – Stan Jones and his Maserati 250F to AGP and Gold Star victories.
The list of cars prepared and/or raced by Reg Nutt is a very long one – a long overdue article – here in a Cisitalia D46 Fiat at Rob Roy in the 1950s.
Eddie Thomas of ‘Speedshop’ fame and Otto Stone.
Fast Eddie Thomas about to do a career best 8.55 seconds pass during the 1968 nationals at Calder in his shed built, blown Chrysler-Hemi powered dragster, Old No 17. An ace on two-wheels and four he formed his first Eddie Thomas Speed Shop in Caulfield, Melbourne in partnership with another ace-mechanic, Pat Ratliff in 1956. Corporate and competition fame and fortune followed.
Light Car Club stalwart Alex Hay with Maurie Quincey, nine times Australian TT champion and four times Isle of Man competitor on motorcycles before success as a Honda dealer and late career Formula 2 racer in a ‘relatively safe’ Elfin 600 Lotus-Ford.
Maurie Quincey’s Elfin 600B Lotus Ford about to be rounded up by World Champion, Graham Hill’s Lotus 49B Ford during the Sandown Tasman Cup round in February 1969.
Reg Nutt, who was riding mechanic to Carl Junker when they won the 1931 AGP. He is seen with Ken McKinney who drove an Austin 7 in the AGP in 1932-34.
Oopsie. McKinney’s Austin 7’s dignity being restored at Phillip Island circa 1934. DNF that day, but he was fifth in 1933 to go with another DNF in 1932, all aboard Austin 7s which always punched above their handicaps on the rough Island course, Arthur Waite’s 1928 AGP victory duly mounted, noted.
Gib Barrett, brother of Alf Barrett and driver of the BWA, sometimes known as the ‘Bloody Work of Art’, seen below at Templestowe Hillclimb circa 1960.
Silvio Massola drove an HRG in the 1952 and 1953 AGPs at Bathurst and Albert Park
Silvio works on his Bugatti T37 supervised by his son Carlo, John Monks, Snapper-Jack Mayes and grandson, James Massola.
Credits…
Bob King Collection, Spencer Wills, Ian Smith, Ron Simmonds Collection, Dentry Family Collection, Spencer Wills, Davey-Milne Family Collection, Nathan Tasca
Tailpiece…
Jack Day was an AGP perennial who attended the modern gatherings, but he seems to have escaped the photographer. Here he is, in the day, aboard a Lombard AL3 at Safety Beach, Dromana, perhaps.
Finito…
primotipo... 
Of course Maurie Quincey was safer in cars… oops, except for an inversion in that same spot at Sandown one day. No pic of that?
Yes, funny that!
Bryan Hanrahan’s book has that shot from memory, but I’m 100km from that wonderful but full of errors tome at the moment.
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