Canberra calling
Congratulations on your wonderful magazine.
100 issues young. Looking forward to the next 100. I have been a long time subscriber and felt compelled to contribute a story to “Blow your Own” about Fairbairn Park and Ian Williams. I noted with interest your comments in the 100th edition that you will one day soon run out of circuits for one of my favourite segments “Tracks in Time”. I do not recall you featuring an article on the Fairbairn Park complex here in Canberra. This would make a wonderful addition as the complex was a motorcyclists dream, particularly throughout the 1970s, as it is still to this day. Large numbers of competitors and spectators would descend on the complex just east of the Canberra Airport for Short Circuit, Motocross, Trials and Go Karts. I have many fond memories of competing on the Lester Edminster Junior Short Circuit track throughout my teenage years in the ‘seventies. I also recall spending many hours attending major Senior meetings such as the CIG Golden Wheels Short Circuit series and the Mr. Motocross series at the Karma Gutza MX Track. Often my father would drop me off with my camera and some sandwiches and I would spend the day soaking it all in and taking pics. My favourite local rider throughout those years was Ian Williams (no. 112), son of local motorcycling legend Taffy Williams. Ian was a very talented, determined and exciting rider to watch with his feet up, flat out sliding style. Ian went on to win multiple national 125, 250 and 500 titles on his impeccably tuned Hagon Sliders. My father bought my YZ80D from Taffy’s Motor Sports Centre on Yass Rd Queanbeyan. Taffy was such a gentleman and always had a way of making you feel special and could never do enough for you.
I excitedly attended the 1979 CIG Golden Wheels meeting with my father at the Seniors Short Circuit on August 26th. It was such an amazing day with all of Australia’s top Short Circuit champions competing. I recall Ian doing very well and I have a feeling it may have been Len Norris who took out the major trophy on the day. Another “special” memory from that day was when two sidecars clipped each other at top speed on the fast long lefthander at the top of the hill which sent one of the outfits careening and bouncing across the grass and smashed into the fence right in front of our car. I was hit by the bike and ended up wedged under it along the side of our car. After the “Accident” my father made me sit in the car for all future sidecar races.
Sadly, Ian passed away at 33 years of age in 1993. I bumped into Taffy several times afterwards and he was completely heartbroken. It was terribly sad to see his infectious Welsh spirit extinguished. Taffy passed away in July 2013. Fast forward to now and I was pleasantly surprised and touched on a recent visit to the Australian Motorcycle Museum in Nabiac to find in one corner a section dedicated to Ian, with both sets of his distinctive “Motor Sports Centre” leathers and his white Bell Moto Star Helmet.
As well as some photos and a painting of Ian in full feet up slide style. This was so lovely to see this and I suspect it was part of the collection when the museum moved from Mitchell in Canberra to Nabiac. I was also pleased to see an old “Puddin Bowl” Helmet of my father’s on which he painstakingly hand painted the Ariel Symbol on the front. One of my fathers old Ducatis (500 Parallel Sport Twin) also made the trip to Nabiac and is on display in the collection. I instantly knew it was my father’s as he had drilled a small hole in the throttle to accommodate a little key he made to keep up the revs to maintain idling on cold Canberra mornings when the terrible choke refused to play.
Thanks for the letter Doug. Regarding a Tracks in Time story on Fairburn Park, I’d be happy to run this if someone could write it and supply photos as I have very little material on the venue.