1950s : DAVID BROOK OAM
Current Birdsville Race Club president David Brook OAM began his journey with the event in the 1950s .
Recalling his earliest memory of the Birdsville Races , he said , “ My dad had a horse called Mookadee , which ran third in 1957 . That was my last year at school in Birdsville and , in those days , there were probably only 150-200 people at the races .”
David has acted as either club resident or secretary for close to 50 years ( and counting !), but his pathway into the role wasn ’ t entirely by choice .
“ My uncle Bob was the president of the Birdsville Race Club for many years and , one day , I remember he was leaving town and handed me a leather bag with all the race club documents in it . He said , ‘ You ’ d better hold onto this ,’ and that ’ s how I got the job .”
1990 : Fred Brophy with a punter in his famous boxing tent . ( Pic : Beryl Mitchell .)
1990 : Trainer George Dawson in discussion with jockey Charlie Prow on race day . ( Pic : Beryl Mitchell .)
1962 : KEVIN ‘ SPINNY ’ MONAGHAN
In 1962 , indigenous stockman Spinny Monaghan rode in his first Birdsville Cup , aged 18 . The 140th anniversary edition of the races this September will mark a 60- year association between Spinny and the outback carnival .
Spinny would go on to ride as an amateur jockey until 1979 , when he got his professional licence at the Birdsville track . He never managed to take out a Birdsville Cup win , but he did come close , placing second in one year .
When Spinny started riding at the Birdsville track , there were only open fields , a little shed , and only about 400m of fencing around the desert track . There were no barriers – horses would line-up in starting gates and a one finger rope drop across the front of the horses would signal the race start .
“ I didn ’ t ride every year but I ’ ve attended the races nearly every year since I started riding in Birdsville , and I ’ ll be back again this year ,” the Diamantina resident said .
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