29/11/2019
To whom it may concern,
It has come to our attention, a small independent committee of concerned residents, that another piece of local history is to be quietly and deliberately destroyed by a proposed development by our local council.
The Muswellbrook Velodrome[1], also known as the Ron King Velodrome, is a main attraction in the ever-growing town, bringing keen cyclists to train in the outdoor concrete space of one of the smallest outdoor velodromes in the Southern Hemisphere[2]. Refurbished sixteen years ago for the use of future generations of enthusiastic and professional cyclers, the arena is 166.66m in length with an altitude of 150m. It comes as a shock that with the new Olympic Park Development Proposal it is to be demolished[3].
The arena space is still currently in use. Managed by the Muswellbrook Cycle Club, racing occurs from October through to March each year. The club welcomes anyone with an interest in the sport and serves as both a training space and further support to "join various other race and social road/velodrome cycling events across NSW"[4].
The Velodrome was constructed in the 1935 and stays true to a typical European design[5]. It is described as a "tight banked track which is ideal for (the) development (of the) skills and tactics needed to ride in... indoor velodromes like the Dunc Gray in Sydney or the Anna Meeres Velodrome in Brisbane"[6].
As a key piece of history, the Velodrome has been used by cyclists including Ron King, a local enthusiast who owned and ran the Muswellbrook bike shop, and frequently competed in Newcastle races. As well as former UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) Vice President, Ray Godkin, who raced and won the 1976 edition of Muswellbrook to Tamworth. Current local racers who participate in the Muswellbrook Cycle Club have previously represented the organisation throughout the NSW Championship Events.
Our independent committee is strongly against the removal of the Velodrome track. It removes an intentional and frequently used training space for rural individuals and offers little compensation for such actions, the currently amended structure plan (as of the 12/11/2019) includes a replacement Criterium track however as it wraps itself around the three football fields we argue that it will be seen more as a path for patrons to a field rather than a dedicated cyclist training space.
Please help us protect the history of our town! Its unfair that something so historically significant to the world of cycling could be so recklessly removed. We call on you to respond to this email with your support in saving the Muswellbrook Velodrome. While Muswellbrook has heritage zones in place around the township it seems that this only applies to buildings and not to other significant developments such as the Velodrome, a townships history is more than the buildings, it is the infrastructure that supports the stories of the people who lived in the town.
We kindly ask that your email responses contain signature footnotes so these can be printed and presented to our local council before the 10th of December 2019. Our email is [email protected]
Thank you
Kindest Regards,
The “Save The Velodrome” Committee.
[1] https://goo.gl/maps/kKt82EhaVMzortY2A
[2] https://www.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/index.php/velodrome
[3] https://www.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/index.php/2015-05-29-01-29-46/3314-amendment-to-olympic-park-masterplan
[4] https://www.muswellbrook.nsw.gov.au/index.php/velodrome
[5] https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/442567/cycling-tradition-goes-full-circle-in-muswellbrook/
Velodrome · Muswellbrook NSW 2333
