THE WAY WE WERE
JACK Hughes was a wealth of knowledge on the history of Kilcoy and district over the past 60-70 years. It is believed he spent most of his working life around the Kilcoy district.
Jack played football for Kilcoy for many years and may have played up until his late 30s. He was a noted horseman and a keen camp drafter and rode horses up to a few years ago.
The history of the Jack Hughes and the long friendship he shared with the late Keith “Pud” Beavis and Carl Bartels dates back some 38 years.
The association started with Jack Hughes, Keith “Pud” Beavis and Carl Bartels back in circa 1980 led to the trio becoming involved with the Kilcoy Race Club and has progressed to this very day by both descendants of the Beavis and Bartels families.
Jack, “Pud” and Carl have been wonderful supporters of the race club and the association and sponsorship in my opinion must be an Australian record.
The original involvement with the Kilcoy Race Club was the sponsorship of the Kilcoy Cup back in 1980. The main race during those formidable years was called the Timm’s Creek Kilcoy Cup.
Over time the sponsorship became the Kilcoy Cup Race Day and about 26 years ago the race name was changed to the Golden Downs Kilcoy Cup, followed by the Golden Downs/Golden Shores Kilcoy Cup three years later.
Keith and Carl added further financial support at a time the club needed extra funds by bring two bus loads of Golden Downs/Golden Shores residence to the annual Kilcoy Cup race day and the tradition has continued to this day.
Jack would always be found of a race day sitting at a table in the northern part of the betting ring surrounded by his many friends.
The Hughes Family history with Kilcoy racing dates back to 1928, 90 years ago. Jack’s father Alex Hughes brought the talented race horse Edroex” owned by his son Alec, down from his Toowoomba stable and won the Kilcoy Cup on July 7, 1928. Edroex was ridden by Alec’s brother Artie Hughes.
The cup (pictured) is still in Jack’s wife’s keeping.
The Hughes family had six sons as seen in the photo. Unfortunately Jack is not in the photo as he was only five weeks old the time the photo was taken.
The six brothers in the photo are (from left) Jim, Artie, Bert, Alec, and Len Hughes.
In 1903 the Caboolture Council allocated an area west of Kilcoy for a race track. The first racing was in 1907 and a holiday was declared for the day of opening.
Jack Hughes is sadly missed by all of us at Kilcoy.
The 1928 Kilcoy Cup will be on display at the Kilcoy Cup race meeting Saturday, June 16.
Con Searle, President, Kilcoy Race Club Inc., Kilcoy Qld