with Matt “ Duck Man ” Austin
If you ’ re around my vintage , you may remember seeing a movie from 1983 called BMX Bandits . It featured an incredibly young Nicole Kidman cutting her moves on the BMX track .
Fast forward 40 years to 2023 and a lot has changed in the BMX world . Out at Fred Caterson Reserve in Castle Hill , BMX racing is thriving . Castle Hill BMX Club has been around since 1981 and the track was your typical dirt BMX track , like all of the other tracks in that era and kids did their best on their bikes to tear it up on any given Saturday .
It ’ s a different story now as Trent
The starting gate . Photos : courtesy Castle Hill BMX Club .
Wilson , the club ’ s vice president tells me . The track became a polymer / soft concrete surface in 2017 , after a lot of hard work was put in the by the old committee . They wanted to upgrade the facilities to provide the best amenities possible for their members .
On a Saturday night you can go to the track and see 150 kids plying their trade trying to be the next superstar like Sam Willoughby , Luke Madill or Caroline Buchanan . Of those 150 riders that you see that night at Fred Caterson Reserve , 110 of them would be under 15 .
The Olympics and the advent of the professional era of BMX riding has seen numbers flourish in the last few years across the country . The riding is really competitive , particularly in the 17 – 24- year age groups , including the pros . On Saturdays they have five motos a night ; the person who gets the lowest points is the overall winner . At state championships and national levels there are three motos and a semi-final and final where the winner takes all . And competition breeds success .
Castle Hill usually has the first round before the state championships in February or March . They normally get 200 + on a Saturday night before states ; a normal club night sees 120 riders . The club has 281 members - four are members of the Western Sydney Academy , and three are in the Oz Cycling development team . That ’ s outstanding for any club , let alone one out in the Hills District .
The club will also be seeing five or six members travel the World Championships in Glasgow later this year , they will represent Australia , but will also have the Castle Hill logo on their uniforms .
Over time the bikes have changed so much , carbon ones are more lightweight and give you the edge in speed and agility which all counts when you get to international level .
The club hosts two ‘ try BMX ’ days throughout the year . The next one will be in about two months . All you need to get started is a bike , full face helmet , long pants , and full gloves .
These events give kids the opportunity to try BMX racing . The age range of the members is from two to people in their 60s . It is literally a sport for everyone , although it gets harder to recover when
Castle Hill BMX club racing .
you have a big stack when you get older !
The sport is very family-orientated , and you can make lifelong friends . The sense of camaraderie is high within the club and BMX community .
BMX goes all year-round . Trent would like to see the club become the number one club in NSW with a big strong solid membership that fosters a family environment . Why don ’ t you come and try it ? You might be the next BMX Bandit !
HARPO ’ s MARKS
In this column last month , the devastating news of John Sattler ’ s passing just gave me enough time to include his demise in my SAD MARKS .
I have known John for 55 years , ever since my first week working as a copyboy in the Daily Mirror sports section .
I will share with you two anecdotes which have remained with me through those many years .
The first was in March 1968 , when two South Sydney Rugby League legends ,
Ron Coote and John Sattler , came into the Daily Mirror to be interviewed by another sporting icon , great journalist and boxing promoter and Australian Boxing Hall of Fame member , Bill Mordey .
Bill introduced me to Ron and John and asked me if I could get them a cup of tea .
Off I went and returned with the two cups and presented them to my heroes . Both men said : “ Thank you Greg ”. Only a small gesture but one which
The great John Sattler , shattered jaw and all , is chaired off the field by team-mates following their 23-12 victory of Manly-Warringah in the 1970 NSWRL grand final . ( l-r ) Elwyn Walters , Denis Pittard , Bob McCarthy , Mike Cleary and John O ’ Neill . has remained with me until this day .
Now , back around 1980 , two greats of rugby league , both of whom were regarded as two of the toughest to have ever played the game , were licensees of hotels in Southport on the Gold Coast .
One of Queensland and Australia ’ s finest forwards , Peter “ Pedro ” Gallagher , had the Queen ’ s Hotel and a hundred metres up Nerang Road , Satts was mine host at the Cecil Hotel .
This particular day , Satts had a business meeting in Brisbane which involved a drive up and back along the old highway - a long trek in those days before the building of Pacific Motorway .
The drive between the Gold Coast and Brisbane and back then was through long stretches of bushland on either side of the road .
On his way back to Southport , John watched in amazement as a car heading north veered off the road , crashing through bushland and coming to an abrupt halt .
The Good Samaritan he is , John did a U-turn , returned to the accident site , leaped out of his car and walked over to the vehicle which had come to a stop against a thick bush .
As he approached the vehicle , five blokes wearing various army clothing struggled out of the badly dented car .
John asked them if they needed any help and was told to , well , putting it nicely , “ Donald duck off ”.
The five would-be Muhammad Alis , obviously as legless as Douglas Bader , then headed towards John , intent on dishing out a hiding to this interloper .
A dozen or so punches later , all five of the not-so fabulous fools were sleeping like babies .
Giving his knuckles a rub , John returned to his car and headed home .
When he drove into the Cecil Hotel car park , his wife , Barbara , in obvious distress , ran over to the car and said to him – “ I wish you had been here a few hours ago , five army blokes were terrorising the place ”. Don ’ t you love it ?
HIGH MARKS : The emergence of Giga Kick as Australia ’ s premier sprinter . I believe his best seasons are ahead of him . Crikey , only nine starts for six wins , two placings and $ 8,699,700 in the kitty already .
LOW MARKS : I just cannot fathom why NRL referees do not penalise second and third tacklers laying over a team-mate who has already stopped the progress of the ball carrier . It just drives me nutty , OK , nuttier !
32 ISSUE 95 // MAY 2023 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HILLS INDEPENDENT