John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The new Toowoomba Sport Hall of Fame committee has recently announced its first inductees, including rugby league players Tom Gorman and John 'Cracker' McDonald—both of whom I have spoken about in this chamber previously, hockey legend Nikki Hudson, and professional runner Arthur Postle. This evening I would like to focus on one of those: Arthur Postle, 'The Crimson Flash'. Arthur was born on 8 March 1881 at Springside near Pittsworth on the Darling Downs, south-west of Toowoomba, and he was the second of nine children. On leaving school, Arthur worked on the family farm and, despite his father's disapproval, competed successfully at professional athletics meetings around the Darling Downs, including sweeping all events at a Toowoomba meet when he was just 14. He left the farm in 1899 to pursue his athletic career, and he quickly became well-recognised in his distinctive crimson costume, with victories in Charters Towers and Townsville against elite sprinting company. He later achieved world fame in that crimson costume as The Crimson Flash—as he became known—when, before a crowd of 20,000 people at Kalgoorlie in Western Australia, on 5 December 1906 he defeated Irish world champion Bernard Day in a 75-yard race in the time of 7.2 seconds—a record which was not broken until the 1970s.

He did not stay in Australia long, as he ventured overseas to race—and win—in England, Wales, Scotland, South Africa and New Zealand. It was during this period that The Crimson Flash became known as 'The Mighty Postle,' given his defeat of the English champion W Growcott in England in 1908 and his epic contests with South African champion Reg Walker. His greatest challenges on the track, though, came from back home in Australia, where he had a formidable rivalry with Jack Donaldson. Known for his explosive starts, Postle was virtually unbeatable over shorter distances, setting world records over 50, 60, 75 and 80 yards, whilst Donaldson won most of the races over 100 yards or longer. However, at a 1912 exhibition in Auckland, Postle turned the tables on his great rival—winning the 75-, 150- and 200-yard events on the one day and, in so doing, setting a new world record for the 200 at 19 seconds. He retired the following year, but never lost his passion for athletics. He took up making running shoes for athletes, which was remarkable for the fact that he had spent most of his career running barefoot, often on very rough ground. Until his passing, Arthur was a familiar sight at Wynnum Memorial Park in Brisbane, giving advice to many youngsters who came along, during the week and on weekends, to attend his regular coaching sessions.

As a local representative, I am very proud to say that today, Arthur still has direct descendants living on the Darling Downs. I am also particularly proud of the fact that local communities in our electorate of Groom continue—and have continued over all of those years since Arthur Postle's days—to encourage children to engage in sport—boys in rugby, girls in netball, athletics, swimming; you name it. For some, that can lead—as we all know—to local, state, national and international success. Most importantly, for most of us and most of our children, it means the reward of simply enjoying the satisfaction of having had a go, remaining active and, of course, having fun. I know that that is the case, not only in our electorate of Groom but right across our great nation. Today, just as we—quite rightly—recognise our sporting heroes at a local, state, national and international level, so too should we continue to celebrate the successes of those from the past generations, such as The Mighty Postle—The Crimson Flash.

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