Billy Cart Bash History
The Billy Cart Bash started as a 'Soap Box Derby' run by the Castlemaine Apex Club in 1949. Back then carts ran two at a time (side by side) down Lyttleton Street, which was sealed for the event. The following excerpt from 'The History of Castlemaine Apex Club' tells the story; "In 1949 and again in 1951 the Apex Club organized Soap Box Derbies to raise funds for the Kindergarten. These were two very successful occasions both financially and for the entrants and spectators alike. The first Derby was held on Saturday March 12th, 1949, and consisted of a course of 310 yards down Lyttleton Street Hill. The streets were roped off and spectators charged to enter the area. Lucky programme numbers ensured prizes of a Mantle Radio, pair of blankets, an electric radiator and others. The first event was the ‘Castlemaine Mail Cup’, a sponsored event with a wristlet watch for the winning driver and a fountain pen for the runner up. Some twenty eight carts contested the event, each of which was sponsored by business firms. |
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During the afternoon the "Apex Soap Box Derby" with the first prize of a Malvern Star Cycle was conducted followed by the finals of both events. At lunch time a Grand Parade offering prizes of several categories was organized from Barker Street along Forest Street to the course. The final profit for the carnival amounted to £205.0.0. At the end of the day the Apexians retired to the Cumberland Hotel for a well deserved refreshment. Harry Barton recalls that it was decided to purchase a 9 gallon keg for after the cleaning up the next day. In fact two kegs were consumed between 18 Apexians on that Sunday. The second Derby, which raised £118.18.1 was held on the same weekend two years later and organized by Bob Grigg, Jack Pearce and Lindsay Stewart. Strict rules and regulations were enforced to ensure safety and a fairness to all entries. The final event, the Open was also the qualifying event for the ‘Commonwealth Jubilee Soap Box Derby Championships’ which were staged in Melbourne later that year. The starter for this event was Hubert (later Sir Hubert) Opperman of bicycle riding fame. Lindsay Stewart remembers the second Derby as being extremely well organized with a mesh fencing down both sides of the course. He recalls that one cart ran out of control down the steep hill, broke through the mesh and skittled a lady spectator, breaking her ankle. At this stage Lindsay was the proud owner of a new motor cycle and his job was to tow the carts back to the top of the bill. He would then coast down to retrieve the next two, but found it difficult to keep up to the racing carts, such was their speed." (Reproduced with the kind permission of Castlemaine Apex Club.) The 1949 event was covered in "Pix' Magazine in their issue of May 7th, 1949. We have a copy of the two page article with lots of pictures. Further Soap Box Derbies were held in Lyttleton Street later into the 1950's and we are awaiting further information on these. We believe they ran until the early 1960's before interest waned and the event stopped . The event was revived as the 'Mount Alexander Autumn Billy Cart Bash' in 1997 by the then Shire Youth Worker, Dan McCarthy. At the time Lyttleton Street was under partial reconstruction and we shifted to Monument Hill in Mostyn Street. The course was slightly shorter but considerably steeper. This was a very successful event on which I helped as a scrutineer and official. Dan left a short time after the event for a promotion elsewhere and I somehow ended up organising the following events. It has been held each Autumn since and is now held on the second last Sunday each May. The event is still exciting with spectacular crashes and lots of fun had by all. We have also incorporated an 'Emergency Services Challenge' which is hotly contested by local CFA, SES and Police. We will plan our 7th Annual Billy Cart Bash for Sunday 18th May, 2003. If you have any history, photographs, articles etc. please contact us. Dave Petrusma
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