The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Gift from Down Under restores cycling prize
Expat who won cup once makes new one from Australian wood
An Australian professional cyclist has replaced a missing Perthshire Highland Games Trophy, which he himself won more than quarter of a century ago.
When Norman Gray, who grew up in Fife, heard the Deil Tak the Hindmost race prize had not been seen for three years, he set about carving a replacement out of local wood.
The cycling race forms part of Pitlochry Highland Games and sees the last person in each lap eliminated until there are only two competitors left.
The phrase is first recorded in literature in 1611, emphasising that those who fall behind can expect no help.
Officials last saw the trophy three years ago and have admitted they cannot trace the last person to have won it.
The new trophy, along with another wooden award donated by a local company, will be presented for the first time this weekend.
Norman, who now lives in Maclean in New South Wales, won the original trophy in 1991 when he raced in the challenge while living in Markinch.
He said: “I work with timber and having created a design in my head I set about producing two trophies.
“The one that has been selected is from the Jacaranda tree, which is popular in Australia because of its beautiful purple blossom. It also has a mellow timber.”
Norman began his cycling career when he was 14 but there was a limit on the number of professional events he could enter.
In the 80s he met his wife-to-be Janet at a Highland games while she was competing in a Highland dancing competition and he followed her to her native Australia five months later.
However, back in Australia Norman and his wife are still active in Highland games.
“The Maclean Highland Gathering is very popular,” said Norman. “It’s held over the Easter weekend and has been going for more than 100 years.”
Nearer home, another trophy in wood is made from Cluniemore larch, carved at Ballinluig and is being sponsored by Pitlochry cycle shop Escape Route.
“I wanted the trophy to be completely local,” said Kevin Grant, the man behind the new trophy.
“The trophy will be the size of a dinner plate with a sprocket milled into the wood to represent cycling.”
It will be presented to the cyclist who wins the Championship of the Highlands event at the Pitlochry Highland Games.