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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-08-28 Daily Xml
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Salisbury Cycle Speedway

Mr FULBROOK (Playford) (15:27): It is my pleasure to rise on behalf of the fantastic sport of cycle speedway and the amazing efforts made by our local club, the Salisbury Jets, for hosting the City of Salisbury Twilight Open Championship. I admit that up until recently I was completely unaware of what cycle speedway was all about. I had seen the occasional reference to the Findon Skid Kids and at one point I lived very close to the Lefevre Cycle Speedway, but it was not until this time last year when one of my constituents, Mr Ian Ward, visited my office seeking help for his daughter, Georgia, who was lining up to participate in the upcoming world championships. That made me a little bit curious.

Fast forward to November, and I dragged my son to Osborne to get a taste of the event. I must admit I was impressed from the get-go. For those not in the know, cycle speedway is a form of bicycle racing on short, oval dirt tracks, usually outdoors, typically 70 to 90 metres long. Riders use lightweight bikes without brakes or multiple gears. In most cases, a single race within a meet will have four riders on track, and they will ride in an anticlockwise direction, usually over four laps. This delivers fast-paced racing, with overtaking and a lot of gritty competition.

Crudely put, the origins of cycle speedway date back to the 1920s but took off in the wreckage of postwar cities across the United Kingdom. For the sake of brevity, I understand it attracts interest with clubs and riders hailing from the UK, Poland, Australia and Ireland, with interest also from Sweden, Japan, the US, Ukraine, Austria, Germany and Malta. But the big three are the clubs from the UK, Poland and Australia.

At the risk of generalising, when I say 'Australia', I am proud to say I mean South Australia. While its origins may be English, cycle speedway is much like rugby league: created in the UK and with its Australian base cemented in one region, in this case around Adelaide. With clubs in Murray Bridge, Salisbury, Osborne and Findon, if it were not for its English origins you could argue it is as South Australian as FruChocs or the Malls Balls, but that is not a bad thing. To me, there is nothing more amazing than seeing local kids taking on a grassroots sport and being within striking distance of representing their country.

While participation at their lead event is possible, thanks to some amazing volunteers and a lot of hard work it is refreshing how this sport celebrates people of all abilities. I mentioned Georgia Ward earlier. She has autism and has been participating since 2013. The sport has done wonders in boosting her self-esteem, and I could not be happier that she participated in the open women's section of the world championships. On the weekend, at the Salisbury Twilight Open Championship, another constituent, Chloe Barlow, who has autism, ADHD and anxiety, did an amazing job with her efforts on track. To her, the sport has boosted her self-confidence and improved her social skills, becoming more outgoing while also giving her a sense of belonging to what is a very supportive community.

Competition throughout the day was tight but, despite a lot of on-track biffo, there were plenty of handshakes to follow once the chequered flags fell. Having seen everyone give it 110 per cent during the day, while I am hesitant to pick a crowd favourite, I do not think anyone would begrudge me singing the praises of Cody Chadwick. Not only did he take out the division 1 event for the day, but he has also done an amazing job participating for his country and ensuring, as club president, the Salisbury Jets go from strength to strength. It is no wonder he also took out Salisbury council's Australia Day Community Achievement Award.

Behind the great man is a massive legion of fantastic volunteers. This includes Stacey McCormick, Craig Saunders, Jade Hannam, David Hartman, Justine Powell and Michael French who, along with many more, work tirelessly to ensure the excitement continues. While I am nearly converted, kudos goes to the federal member for Makin, Mr Tony Zappia, who joined me on the day and has been supporting this great club for well over 30 years. In saying these words, I hope there are a few in the chamber who are now curious and keen to check out this great sport. I encourage you all, as I am confident you will not be disappointed.

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