Stawell Gift
Encyclopedia
The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short distance running race. It is run over every Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, Stawell
Stawell, Victoria
Stawell , is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Stawell had a population of 6,035....

 in the Grampian Mountains district of western Victoria.

The race is run on grass over 120 metres up a slight gradient. Competitors are handicapped
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...

 according to their form, with each competitor 'marked' by between 0 m and 10 m to theoretically reach the finish line at the same time. This process is administered by the Victorian Athletic League (VAL)
Victorian Athletic League
The Victorian Athletic League organises professional footrunning events ranging from 70 to 3200 metres. The most famous of these events is the Stawell Gift which has been run since 1878 and hosts the richest footrace in Australia...

. Due to the relatively short handicap limit, the class of runners that can potentially win the event is limited compared to other Gifts in Australia.

The winner is, hypothetically, the runner who can best 'rise to the occasion' and perform better than their previous form, although the key can often be to perform slightly below their best in lead-up events and thus receive a favourable handicap.

History

The first Stawell Gift was in 1878, as a fun race between miners at the end of the gold rush
Victorian gold rush
The Victorian gold rush was a period in the history of Victoria, Australia approximately between 1851 and the late 1860s. In 10 years the Australian population nearly tripled.- Overview :During this era Victoria dominated the world's gold output...

. It has been raced every year since, except for four years during the Second World War. Originally it was the townspeople putting together an entertainment package to happen over Easter, complete with 'special trains' to the event. Today it is the most prestigious footrace in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, with a $40,000AUD first prize. The event is sponsored by Australia Post
Australia Post
Australia Post is the trading name of the Australian Government-owned Australian Postal Corporation .-History:...

 and the finals are televised live around Australia.

The event was historically run over 130 yards (118.9 m). In 1973 the race converted to the metric system
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...

, and the distance was altered to 120 metres (131.2 yd), essentially an identical distance. Electronic timing
Fully Automatic Time
Fully automatic time is a form of race timing in which the clock is automatically activated by the starting device, and the finish time is either automatically recorded, or timed by analysis of a photo finish. The system is commonly used in track and field as well as horse racing, dog racing,...

 was introduced in 1982 thus allowing higher precision in race results.

Format

On Easter Saturday the heats are conducted, with the winner of each heat going through to the semi finals along with the next best fastest times. On Easter Monday the six semi finals are run approximately 2 hours before the final with semi final winners only advancing to the final. (Six semi finals were first run in 1988, before that there were only five semi finals.)

The Gift is run on a 120m grass track in front of the 100 year-old Stawell Grandstand, and the athletes run in lanes that are separated by lane ropes rather than painted lines.

The idea of the handicap
Handicapping
Handicapping, in sport and games, is the practice of assigning advantage through scoring compensation or other advantage given to different contestants to equalize the chances of winning. The word also applies to the various methods by which the advantage is calculated...

 system is that all runners would theoretically cross the line at the same time. The handicapper works out what mark or handicap the runner will have according to their previous performances in sprint events. Currently the most a runner may be handicapped is 10 metres, although this is occasionally increased to 11. Each metre in handicap denotes approximately a tenth of a second in time. Race winners are often those that are able to 'beat the handicapper', in that they need to perform well enough to qualify for the event and the finals, but below what they are truly capable of, so that they receive a handicap that gives them the best chance of a victory. The handicapping system often ends up pitting local runners against international professionals.

Gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...

 is allowed in the venue, and there is an extensive Bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...

's compound.

While the Stawell Gift is the feature race, the meeting also includes many other races, with more than sixty events taking place over the three-day meeting. The Women's Gift has run since 1989.

Winners

Winners of the Stawell Gift have been:
Year Runner From Handicap (yd/m) Time (s)
1878 Millard, William J. Condah, Victoria
Condah, Victoria
Condah is a small town in south west Victoria, Australia and is located on the Henty Highway north of Heywood. At the 2006 census, Condah and the surrounding area had a population of 272.Condah Post Office opened on 12 May 1868 and closed in 2001...

 
3 12.75
1879 Grose, E.S. Creswick, Victoria
Creswick, Victoria
Creswick is a town in west-central Victoria, Australia. It is located 18 kilometres north of Ballarat and 129 km northwest of Melbourne, in Shire of Hepburn. It is 430 metres above sea level. At the 2006 census, Creswick had a population of 2,485...

 
6.5 13
1880 Witney, C.G. Brighton, Victoria
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...

 
7.5 12.7
1881 Rodgers, J. Avoca, Victoria
Avoca, Victoria
Avoca is a town in the Central Highlands of Victoria, Australia, north west of Ballarat. It is one of two main towns in the Pyrenees Shire, the other being Beaufort to the south. At the 2006 census, Avoca had a population of 951.-Geography:...

 
9 12
1882 Parkinson, A.B. Sale, Victoria
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...

 
11 12.75
1883 Kinnear, R. Dimboola, Victoria
Dimboola, Victoria
Dimboola is located in Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of Western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.Situated on the Wimmera River in the State of Victoria,the town of Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'.Following a survey conducted in late 1862 by...

 
14 12.5
1884 Smith, W. Melbourne, Victoria  7.5 12
1885 Mummery, W. Bowman's Forest, Victoria  10 12.25
1886 Clarke, W.B. England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 
7 11.75
1887 Brown, J. Balmoral, Victoria
Balmoral, Victoria
Balmoral is a township in the Shire of Southern Grampians in the Western District of Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, Balmoral and the surrounding area had a population of 542....

 
12 11.75
1888 Bingham, G. Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy, Victoria
Fitzroy is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. Its borders are Alexandra Parade , Victoria Parade , Smith Street and Nicholson Street. Fitzroy is Melbourne's...

 
10.5 11.75
1889 Skinner, E.S. United States of America  9 12
1890 Midson, J. Eaglehawk, Victoria
Eaglehawk, Victoria
Eaglehawk is a former gold-mining town in Victoria, Australia and a suburb within the City of Greater Bendigo.The town is situated to the north-west of Bendigo on the Loddon Valley Highway. The highway is known locally as High Street until the intersection with Sailors Gully Road and as Peg Leg...

 
11 11.875
1891 Martin, H. Maryborough, Victoria
Maryborough, Victoria
-Education:Maryborough has three schools:*Highview Christian Community College*Maryborough Education Centre Years Prep–12*St Augustine's Primary School Grades Prep–6-Music:...

 
13 11.75
1892 Heppner, A. Port Melbourne, Victoria
Port Melbourne, Victoria
Port Melbourne is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km southwest of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government areas are the cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, Port Melbourne had a population of 13,293....

 
12 12
1893 Hough, E.J. Mudgee, New South Wales
Mudgee, New South Wales
Mudgee is a town in the central west of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in the broad fertile Cudgegong River valley 261 kilometres north west of Sydney. Mudgee is the centre of the Mid-Western Regional Council Local Government Area...

 
12.5 11.5
1894 Breen, P.J. Gippsland, Victoria  11 11.75
1895 Joy, W.E. Dunolly, Victoria
Dunolly, Victoria
Dunolly is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Dunolly - Maryborough Road, in the Shire of Central Goldfields. At the 2006 census, Dunolly had a population of 969....

 
5 12.25
1896 Nesbitt, R.G. Adelaide, South Australia  11.5 12.5
1897 Stuckey, G. North Melbourne, Victoria
North Melbourne, Victoria
North Melbourne is a large inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. It is bounded by the CityLink freeway to the west, Victoria Street to the south, O'Connell and Peel Streets to the east and Flemington Road to the north. Its...

 
12 12.2
1898 Lewis, J.S. Euroa, Victoria
Euroa, Victoria
Euroa is a town in the Shire of Strathbogie in North-East Victoria, Australia.At the 2006 census, Euroa had a population of 2,776. The name Euroa comes from an Aboriginal word in the old local dialect meaning "joyful".-History:Major T.L...

 
14 11.8
1899 Clarke, Norman C.
Norm Clark
Norman "Hackenschmidt" Clark was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1905 and 1912....

Roseberry, South Australia  14.5 11.8
1900 Strickland, D. Menzies, Western Australia
Menzies, Western Australia
Menzies is a town located in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, east-northeast of the state capital, Perth, and north-northwest of the city of Kalgoorlie...

 
10 12
1901 Kenny, E.T. Woodend, Victoria
Woodend, Victoria
Woodend is a small town in Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Macedon Ranges Local government area. It is bypassed to the east and north by the Calder Freeway and is located about halfway between Melbourne and Bendigo...

 
14 12
1902 Tredennick, A.E. Malvern, Victoria
Malvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...

 
11.5 12.2
1903 Dew, H. Adelaide, South Australia  12 12.2
1904 Flanagan, J.F. East Melbourne, Victoria
East Melbourne, Victoria
East Melbourne is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, adjacent to Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, East Melbourne had a population of 4,330....

 
12 12.2
1905 McKenzie, C.N. Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....

 
10.5 12
1906 Thompson, E.W. Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,327....

 
10 12.2
1907 Knox, C.W. Numurkah, Victoria
Numurkah, Victoria
Numurkah is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Goulburn Valley Highway, north of Shepparton, in the Shire of Moira. At the 2006 census, Numurkah had a population of 4,643.- History :...

 
12.5 12.4
1908 King, Chris Rutherglen, Victoria
Rutherglen, Victoria
Rutherglen is a small town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, near the Murray River border with New South Wales. The town was named after the Scottish town of Rutherglen which lies just outside Glasgow...

 
12 11.8
1909 Rigby, H. Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

 
11.5 11.8
1910 Dancy, J. Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...

 
13 11.6
1911 Devine, D.H. Stawell, Victoria
Stawell, Victoria
Stawell , is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Stawell had a population of 6,035....

 
13 11.4
1912 Carter, E.E. Kew, Victoria
Kew, Victoria
Kew is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Boroondara. At the 2006 Census, Kew had a population of 22,516....

 
11.5 12.2
1913 George, E.A. North Melbourne, Victoria
North Melbourne, Victoria
North Melbourne is a large inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. It is bounded by the CityLink freeway to the west, Victoria Street to the south, O'Connell and Peel Streets to the east and Flemington Road to the north. Its...

 
12.5 12.2
1914 Robinson, W.
Billy Robinson (footballer)
William "Billy" Robinson was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the Victorian Football League ....

Maldon, Victoria
Maldon, Victoria
Maldon is a town in Victoria, Australia, in the Shire of Mount Alexander local government area. It has been designated "Australia's first notable town" and is celebrated for its 19th-century appearance, maintained since gold-rush days...

 
12 11.8
1915 Fleming, E. Elphinstone, Victoria
Elphinstone, Victoria
Elphinstone is a town in Victoria, Australia. The town sits at the junction of the former Calder Highway and the former Pyrenees Highway between Malmsbury and Castlemaine near Taradale and Chewton...

 
10 11.4
1916 Cassidy, C.P. South Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne, Victoria
South Melbourne is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Port Phillip and Melbourne...

 
13.25 12
1917 Swindells, F.C. Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Moonee Ponds is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley.It is home to Queens Park and the Moonee Valley Racecourse...

 
11.75 12.2
1918 Roach, A. Melbourne, Victoria  14 12.6
1919 Evans, H.W. Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford, Victoria
Abbotsford is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 2 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra. At the 2006 Census, Abbotsford had a population of 4,327....

 
10.5 12.2
1920 Cashmore, A.G. Balliang, Victoria
Balliang, Victoria
Balliang is a locality in Victoria, Australia. The locality is in the south-east of the Shire of Moorabool, north of the City of Greater Geelong and from the state capital, Melbourne...

 
7 12.4
1921 Jennings, L.J. Parkville, Victoria
Parkville, Victoria
Parkville is an inner city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Melbourne. At the 2006 Census, the population was 4,980....

 
10.25 12.4
1922 Till, P.L. Cobden, Victoria
Cobden, Victoria
Cobden is a town located 210 kilometres southwest of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia named in honour of Richard Cobden. At the 2006 census, Cobden had a population of 1813. At the 2001 census, Cobden had a population of 1419.- History :...

 
10.5 11.7
1923 Curran, J.E. Stawell, Victoria
Stawell, Victoria
Stawell , is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Stawell had a population of 6,035....

 
9 12
1924 Twomey, Sr., William P.
Bill Twomey, Sr.
William 'Bill' Patrick Twomey was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League . His sons Mick, Pat and Bill all played league football with Collingwood....

Stawell, Victoria
Stawell, Victoria
Stawell , is a town in the Wimmera region of Victoria, Australia. The town is located in Shire of Northern Grampians Local Government Area, west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2006 census, Stawell had a population of 6,035....

 
8.5 12.1
1925 Banner, T. Carthcart, Victoria  5 12.15625
1926 Allen, W.G. Coburg, Victoria
Coburg, Victoria
Coburg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moreland, although a handful of properties on Coburg's Eastern boundary are located in the City of Darebin...

 
9.5 12 4/16
1927 Miles, T.J. Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Local Government Area of the Bundaberg Region and is a major centre within Queensland's broader Wide Bay-Burnett geographical region...

 
10 12.0625
1928 Cooper, L. Jeparit, Victoria
Jeparit, Victoria
Jeparit is situated on the Wimmera River in Western Victoria, Australia, 370 kilometres north west of Melbourne. At the 2006 census Jeparit had a population of 582.-History:...

 
8 11.9375
1929 Hearne, C.H. Tocumwal, New South Wales
Tocumwal, New South Wales
Tocumwal is a town in the southern Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia in the Berrigan Shire Local Government Area, near the Victorian border. The town is situated on the banks of the Murray River, north of the city of Melbourne. The Newell Highway, part of the main road route between...

 
10 11.9375
1930 Hodge, R.K. Lakes Entrance, Victoria
Lakes Entrance, Victoria
Lakes Entrance is a tourist resort and fishing port in eastern Victoria, Australia. It is situated approximately east of Melbourne, near a managed, man-made channel connecting the Gippsland Lakes to the Bass Strait. At the 2006 census, Lakes Entrance had a population of 4,094.The township was...

 
11.75 11.8125
1931 Ralph, F.J. Richmond, South Australia
Richmond, South Australia
Richmond is an inner urban suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of West Torrens.-History:Settlement of the area dates from the late 1830s with land used mainly for farming. Residential and industrial growth took place from the late 19th century into the early 20th century....

 
9.5 11 14/16
1932 Barker, R.L. Essendon, Victoria
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...

 
11.75 12 2/16
1933 Heath, C.G. Baileston East, Victoria  11 11 10/16
1934 Roberts, T.L. Mulwala, New South Wales
Mulwala, New South Wales
Mulwala is a town in the Corowa Shire Local Government Area in the Riverina district of New South Wales, Australia. The town is situated on Lake Mulwala, an artificial lake formed by the damming of the Murray River. At the 2006 census, Mulwala had a population of 1,986 people...

 
9.75 11 9/16
1935 Bishop, M.M. Port Pirie, South Australia
Port Pirie, South Australia
-Transport:Port Pirie is located off National Highway One. It is serviced by an airport five minutes out of the city.- Railways :The first railways in Port Pirie were of the narrow [3' 6"] gauge....

 
7.5 12
1936 McCann, R.C. Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...

 
6.5 12 4/6
1937 Bradley, F.A. Coolamon, New South Wales
Coolamon, New South Wales
Coolamon is a town in the Riverina region of south-west New South Wales, Australia. Coolamon is north-west of Wagga Wagga and south-west of Sydney via the Hume and Sturt Highways. The town is situated on the railway line between Junee and Narrandera. Coolamon had a population of 1,339 at the 2006...

 
10 12
1938 Grant, Jack W.
Jack Grant
Jack W. Grant was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong and Fitzroy in the VFL.Grant usually played on the half forward or half back flanks....

Geelong, Victoria
Geelong, Victoria
Geelong is a port city located on Corio Bay and the Barwon River, in the state of Victoria, Australia, south-west of the state capital; Melbourne. It is the second most populated city in Victoria and the fifth most populated non-capital city in Australia...

 
11.5 11 11/16
1939 Sprague, L.W. Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...

 
9.5 11 14/16
1940 Reid, A.J. Port Augusta, South Australia
Port Augusta, South Australia
-Electricity generation:Electricity is generated at the Playford B and Northern power stations from brown coal mined at Leigh Creek, 250 km to the north...

 
8.5 12 3/16
1941 Hutton, W.K. Devonport, Tasmania
Devonport, Tasmania
-Sport:The Devonport Football Club is an Australian Rules team competing in the Tasmanian Statewide League. The Devonport Rugby Club is a Rugby Union team competing in the Tasmanian Rugby Union Statewide League...

 
7.25 12 6/16
1942 - 1945 No race (WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

)
1946 Deane, T.V. (Tommy) Wahring, Victoria  7 11 14/16
1947 Martin, Arthur C Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...

 
4.5 11 14/16
1948 Brudenall, T.F. (Tom) Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat, Victoria
Ballarat is a city in the state of Victoria, Australia, approximately west-north-west of the state capital Melbourne situated on the lower plains of the Great Dividing Range and the Yarrowee River catchment. It is the largest inland centre and third most populous city in the state and the fifth...

 
8 12 3/16
1949 Cann, J.E. Broken Hill, New South Wales
Broken Hill, New South Wales
-Geology:Broken Hill's massive orebody, which formed about 1,800 million years ago, has proved to be among the world's largest silver-lead-zinc mineral deposits. The orebody is shaped like a boomerang plunging into the earth at its ends and outcropping in the centre. The protruding tip of the...

 
8.25 11 15/16
1950 Trewick, W.K. (Ken) Brisbane, Queensland  10 11 15/16
1951 Hutchinson, Gerard R. Brighton, Victoria
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...

 
8 11 13/16
1952 Mann, Lance G.
Lance Mann
Lance Mann is a professional footrunner and a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .-Footballer :A talented wingman, Mann was recruited from the Albury Football Club....

Albury, New South Wales
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...

 
7.25 11 14/16
1953 Hart, Roy J. Chelsea, Victoria
Chelsea, Victoria
Chelsea is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 30 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston. At the 2006 Census, Chelsea had a population of 6694....

 
5.75 12
1954 Hayes, John K. Rutherglen, Victoria
Rutherglen, Victoria
Rutherglen is a small town in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, near the Murray River border with New South Wales. The town was named after the Scottish town of Rutherglen which lies just outside Glasgow...

 
9 11 8/10
1955 O'Donnell, John D. Preston, Victoria
Preston, Victoria
Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Preston had a population of 27,892.-Settlement:...

 
8.75 12
1956 Williams, W.R. (Bill) Altona, Victoria
Altona, Victoria
Altona is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Altona had a population of 9685....

 
12 11 8/10
1957 Carr, J.R. (Jack) Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
Bacchus Marsh, Victoria
Bacchus Marsh is an urban centre and suburban locality in Victoria, Australia located approximately west of Melbourne and west of Melton. The population of the urban area is estimated at over 17,000 people, while the central locality is home to 5,566 people...

 
10.5 11 8/10
1958 Durant, Malcolm Ascot Vale, Victoria
Ascot Vale, Victoria
Ascot Vale is a suburb 7 km north-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley. At the 2006 Census, Ascot Vale had a population of 12,398....

 
8.5 11 8/10
1959 Treacey, George Northcote, Victoria
Northcote, Victoria
Northcote is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin...

 
11.25 11 8/10
1960 McCann, W.J. (Bill) Dimboola, Victoria
Dimboola, Victoria
Dimboola is located in Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of Western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne.Situated on the Wimmera River in the State of Victoria,the town of Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'.Following a survey conducted in late 1862 by...

 
6.75 11 8/10
1961 Savage, Colin Nunawading, Victoria
Nunawading, Victoria
Nunawading is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Whitehorse...

 
6.25 12 2/10
1962 Beachley, L.N. (Noel) Rosanna, Victoria
Rosanna, Victoria
Rosanna is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule...

 
8.25 12 1/10
1963 Bell, A.J. (John). Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Moonee Ponds, Victoria
Moonee Ponds is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 7 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley.It is home to Queens Park and the Moonee Valley Racecourse...

 
12 12
1964 Hussey, Noel Echuca, Victoria
Echuca, Victoria
Echuca is a town located on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe river in Victoria, Australia. The Border town Moama is on the northern side of the Murray river in New South Wales. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Shire of Campaspe...

 
8.5 12.1
1965 Cox, Barry Brighton, Victoria
Brighton, Victoria
Brighton is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Bayside. At the 2006 Census, Brighton had a population of 20,651...

 
7.5 12
1966 Howard, William G. Wodonga, Victoria
Wodonga, Victoria
Wodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. Adjacent to Wodonga across the border is the New South Wales city of Albury. Wodonga is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA...

 
8.75 11.9
1967 Howard, William G. Wodonga, Victoria
Wodonga, Victoria
Wodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. Adjacent to Wodonga across the border is the New South Wales city of Albury. Wodonga is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA...

 
5.75 11.6
1968 Miller, Ian Surrey Hills, Victoria
Surrey Hills, Victoria
Surrey Hills is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 12 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area lies within the cities of Boroondara and Whitehorse...

 
9.75 11.6
1969 McLeod, Barry Braybrook, Victoria
Braybrook, Victoria
Braybrook is a suburb 9 km west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maribyrnong. At the 2006 Census, Braybrook had a population of 6940....

 
7.75 12
1970 Foley, Barry Ascot Vale, Victoria
Ascot Vale, Victoria
Ascot Vale is a suburb 7 km north-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley. At the 2006 Census, Ascot Vale had a population of 12,398....

 
11 11.8
1971 McGregor, Treva Templestowe, Victoria
Templestowe, Victoria
"Templestowe" redirects here. For the Victorian Legislative Council Province, please see Templestowe Province.Templestowe is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Manningham...

 
7.25 11.7
1972 Foley, Barry Ascot Vale, Victoria
Ascot Vale, Victoria
Ascot Vale is a suburb 7 km north-west of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley. At the 2006 Census, Ascot Vale had a population of 12,398....

 
7.5 11.8
1973# Moss, Bernie Croydon, Victoria
Croydon, Victoria
Croydon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2006 Census, Croydon had a population of 22,029.-Public transport:...

 
10.75 12.1
1974 Durham, Peter Ripponlea, Victoria
Ripponlea, Victoria
Ripponlea is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is centered on the intersection of Glen Eira Road and Hotham Street, in the municipality of City of Port Phillip. In terms of its cadastral division, Ripponlea is in the parish of Prahran within the County of Bourke. As of the 2006 Census,...

 
7.25 12.0
1975 Ravelomanantsoa, Jean-Louis
Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa
Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa is a retired Malagasy athlete who specialized in the 100 metres.At the 1964 Summer Olympics he was knocked out in the heats in both 100 and 200 metres....

Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

 
Scratch 12.0
1976 Pollock, Allan Heidelberg, Victoria
Heidelberg, Victoria
Heidelberg is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 11 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule....

 
8.5 12.1
1977 Edmonson, Warren United States of America  1.25 12.0
1978 Proudlock, Steve Gunnedah, New South Wales
Gunnedah, New South Wales
Gunnedah is a town and Local government area in north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. 7,542 people lived in the town of Gunnedah in 2006, including 931 indigenous people ....

 
8 11.9
1979 McMahon, Noel Ivanhoe, Victoria
Ivanhoe, Victoria
Ivanhoe is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Ivanhoe had a population of 10,600.-History:...

 
8.25 12.0
1980 Dinan, John Viewbank, Victoria
Viewbank, Victoria
Viewbank is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 14 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Banyule. At the 2006 Census, Viewbank had a population of 6614....

 
5.5 12.3
1981 McNeill, George Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 
4 11.9
1982* Perry, Chris Malvern, Victoria
Malvern, Victoria
Malvern is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Stonnington. At the 2006 Census, Malvern had a population of 9,422.-History:...

 
7 12.19
1983 O'Brien, Dallas Bentleigh, Victoria
Bentleigh, Victoria
Bentleigh is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 13 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira. At the 2006 Census, Bentleigh had a population of 14,271.-History:...

 
6 12.22
1984 Singleton, Paul Jilliby, New South Wales
Jilliby, New South Wales
Jilliby is a large non-metropolitan suburb located in the Dooralong Valley of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Wyong Shire local government area....

 
5 11.95
1985 Young, Paul Essendon, Victoria
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...

 
10.75 12.07
1986 Chapman, Glen Albury, New South Wales
Albury, New South Wales
Albury is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia, located on the Hume Highway on the northern side of the Murray River. It is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Albury Local Government Area...

 
7 12.01
1987 Elliott, Russell Preston, Victoria
Preston, Victoria
Preston is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 9 km north from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Darebin. At the 2006 Census, Preston had a population of 27,892.-Settlement:...

 
8.25 12.13
1988 Antonitch, Scott Roselands, New South Wales
Roselands, New South Wales
Roselands is a suburb, in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Roselands is located 16 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district in the City of Canterbury.-Geography:...

 
6 12.28
1989 McIntyre, Simon Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
Wagga Wagga is a city in New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Murrumbidgee River, and with an urban population of 46,735 people, Wagga Wagga is the state's largest inland city, as well as an important agricultural, military, and transport hub of Australia...

 
6 12.14
1990 Capobianco, Dean
Dean Capobianco
Dean Capobianco is an Australian businessman and former athlete. As an athlete he is best known as a sprinter. He won the 1990 Stawell Gift.-Athletics:...

Kalamunda, Western Australia
Kalamunda, Western Australia
-Transport:Kalamunda Road serves as a major access road for Perth Airport, and provides the foothills suburbs with access to the Perth central business district....

 
2.25 12.29
1991 Brimacombe, Steve
Steve Brimacombe
Steve Brimacombe is an Australian athletics coach and former runner.Under the tutelage of renowned Scottish coach Jim Bradley , Brimacombe won the 1991 Stawell Gift. A fortnight after winning the Australian 200m title, Brimacombe finished 2nd in the 1994 Stawell Gift off scratch...

Eltham, Victoria
Eltham, Victoria
Eltham is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 20 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Nillumbik. At the 2006 Census, Eltham had a population of 17,581....

 
6.75 11.93
1992 McManus, Andrew Essendon, Victoria
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...

 
7 12.03
1993 Richardson, Jason A.
Jason A. Richardson
Jason Richardson is an Australian athlete turned radio presenter.-Athletics career:In 1993, he won the Stawell Gift off the mark of 7.5 meters...

Caulfield South, Victoria
Caulfield South, Victoria
Caulfield South is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Glen Eira. At the 2006 Census, Caulfield South had a population of 11,113....

 
7.5 11.94
1994 Lewis, Rod Ringwood, Victoria
Ringwood, Victoria
Ringwood is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east of Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2006 Census, Ringwood had a population of 15,185....

 
7.5 12.05
1995 Crawford, Glenn Katamatite, Victoria
Katamatite, Victoria
Katamatite is a rural township in Victoria, Australia about 46 kilometres north east of Shepparton. At the 2006 census, Katamatite had a population of 212....

 
6.5 11.79
1996 Hutton, Steve Alberton, South Australia
Alberton, South Australia
Alberton is a metropolitan suburb in Adelaide, South Australia, about 20 minutes drive from the city. Part of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, it is bordered by the suburbs of Rosewater, Queenstown, Cheltenham and Port Adelaide.- History :...

 
6 12.26
1997 Millard, Daniel Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier, South Australia
Mount Gambier is the largest regional city in South Australia located approximately 450 kilometres south of the capital Adelaide and just 17 kilometres from the Victorian border....

 
10.75 11.98
1998 Seers, Dale Edithvale, Victoria
Edithvale, Victoria
Edithvale is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 28 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Kingston. At the 2006 Census, Edithvale had a population of 4991.-Public transport:...

 
7.75 12.04
1999 Matthews, Rodney Buninyong, Victoria
Buninyong, Victoria
Buninyong is a place in Victoria, Australia. The town is on the Midland Highway, south of Ballarat on the road to Geelong. It's known locally as the drug smuggling capital of the South West region. Local Dealers are said to import the majority of their cannabis supply from farmers in Durham Lead...

 
9.5 11.91
2000 Pearce, Jarram Wodonga, Victoria
Wodonga, Victoria
Wodonga is a small city on the Victorian side of the border with New South Wales, north-east of Melbourne, Australia. Adjacent to Wodonga across the border is the New South Wales city of Albury. Wodonga is located wholly within the boundaries of the City of Wodonga LGA...

 
8 12.01
2001 Pym, Andrew South Riverview, New South Wales
Riverview, New South Wales
Riverview is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Riverview is located 9 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Municipality of Lane Cove...

 
7.75 11.97
2002 Uhlmann, Stuart Cedar Grove, Queensland  6.75 11.98
2003 Ross, Joshua North Lambton, New South Wales
North Lambton, New South Wales
North Lambton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is part of the City of Newcastle local government area.North Lambton is a mostly housed area close to the Lambton City Centre....

 
7 11.92
2004 Hunte, Jason Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...

 
4.25 12.07
2005 Ross, Joshua Gillieston, New South Wales  Scratch 12.36
2006 Mott, Adrian Essendon, Victoria
Essendon, Victoria
Essendon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 10 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Moonee Valley...

 
7.25 11.98
2007 Allen, Nathan Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba, Queensland
Toowoomba is a city in Southern Queensland, Australia. It is located west of Queensland's capital city, Brisbane. With an estimated district population of 128,600, Toowoomba is Australia's second largest inland city and its largest non-capital inland city...

 
5.25 12.35
2008 Jamieson, Sam Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown, Victoria
Williamstown is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 8 km south-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hobsons Bay. At the 2006 Census, Williamstown had a population of 12,733....

 
6.00 12.09
2009 Stubbs, Aaron Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore, New South Wales
Lismore is a subtropical town in northeastern New South Wales, Australia. Lismore is the main population centre in the City of Lismore local government area. Lismore is a regional centre in the Northern Rivers region of the State.-History:...

 
7.25 11.87
2010 Burbidge, Tom Canberra, Australian Capital Territory  8.75 12.01
2011 Williams, Mitchell Currumbin, Queensland
Currumbin, Queensland
Currumbin is a suburb in the Gold Coast region of Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Currumbin had a population of 2,647.-History:Many of the houses at Currumbin date from the period of its earliest subdivision and the area contains a substantial grouping of fibro beach houses...

 
6.50 12.18

Notes:

# Converted to metric
Metric system
The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...

 distances in 1973.

* Commenced electronic timing
Fully Automatic Time
Fully automatic time is a form of race timing in which the clock is automatically activated by the starting device, and the finish time is either automatically recorded, or timed by analysis of a photo finish. The system is commonly used in track and field as well as horse racing, dog racing,...

 in 1982.

The first winner 1878

The inaugural winner was William J. (Bill) Millard, a farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...

 from Condah, Victoria
Condah, Victoria
Condah is a small town in south west Victoria, Australia and is located on the Henty Highway north of Heywood. At the 2006 census, Condah and the surrounding area had a population of 272.Condah Post Office opened on 12 May 1868 and closed in 2001...

, who reputedly trained by chasing kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...

s. His great-grandson, Daniel Millard, won the Stawell Gift in 1997.

Winners from scratch

Only two people have ever won the race running from scratch (0 m handicap):
  • Multiple time Malagasy
    Madagascar
    The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

     Olympian
    Olympic Games
    The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

     Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa
    Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa
    Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa is a retired Malagasy athlete who specialized in the 100 metres.At the 1964 Summer Olympics he was knocked out in the heats in both 100 and 200 metres....

     in 1975, who also technically holds the fastest ever time of 12.0 s due to winning from scratch
  • Athens 2004 Olympian
    2004 Summer Olympics
    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

     and multiple Australian 100m champion Joshua Ross
    Joshua Ross
    Joshua Ross is an Australian track and field sprinter. He spent his early childhood in south western Sydney and moved with his family to the Central Coast at around age seven. He went to Woy Woy Public School and Henry Kendall High School...

     in 2005

Multiple winners

Three sprinters have won the race more than once:
  • Bill Howard (1966, 1967) (the only back-to-back winner);
  • Barry Foley (1970, 1972);
  • Joshua Ross (2003, 2005).

Stawell Gift Olympians

Four Australian Olympians
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 have won the Stawell Gift:
  • Dean Capobianco
    Dean Capobianco
    Dean Capobianco is an Australian businessman and former athlete. As an athlete he is best known as a sprinter. He won the 1990 Stawell Gift.-Athletics:...

     (1990) – 1992 Olympics, Barcelona
    1992 Summer Olympics
    The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

     & 1996 Olympics, Atlanta
    1996 Summer Olympics
    The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

  • Steve Brimacombe (1991) – 1996 Olympics, Atlanta
    1996 Summer Olympics
    The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

  • Andrew McManus (1992) – 2004 Olympics, Athens
    2004 Summer Olympics
    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

  • Joshua Ross
    Joshua Ross
    Joshua Ross is an Australian track and field sprinter. He spent his early childhood in south western Sydney and moved with his family to the Central Coast at around age seven. He went to Woy Woy Public School and Henry Kendall High School...

     (2003, 2005) – 2004 Olympics, Athens
    2004 Summer Olympics
    The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...


VFL winners

The following Gift winners also played senior VFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 football:
  • 1897: George Stuckey
    George Stuckey
    George Stuckey was an Australian rules footballer who played with and captained Essendon in the Victorian Football League ....

    , Essendon
    Essendon Football Club
    The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

    ; won in in 12.2 seconds, running off a handicap of 12 yards.
  • 1899: Norman Clark
    Norm Clark
    Norman "Hackenschmidt" Clark was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1905 and 1912....

    , Carlton
    Carlton Football Club
    The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

    ; won in 11.8 seconds, running off a handicap of 14 ½ yards.
  • 1900: Dave Strickland, St Kilda, father of Shirley Strickland
    Shirley Strickland
    Shirley Barbara Strickland AO, MBE , later Shirley de la Hunty, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports.-Family:...

    ; won in 12 seconds, running off a handicap of 10 yards.
  • 1902: Alf Tredinnick, Melbourne
    Melbourne Football Club
    The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....

    ; won in 12.2 seconds, running off 11½ yards.
  • 1909: Harry Rigby, Carlton
    Carlton Football Club
    The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

    ; won in 11.8 seconds, running off 11½ yards.
  • 1914: Billy Robinson
    Billy Robinson (footballer)
    William "Billy" Robinson was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in the Victorian Football League ....

    , Carlton
    Carlton Football Club
    The Carlton Football Club is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the Australian Football League, and was one of the eight founding members of that competition in 1897...

    ; won in 11.8 seconds, running off 12 yards.
  • 1924: Bill Twomey, Sr.
    Bill Twomey, Sr.
    William 'Bill' Patrick Twomey was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League . His sons Mick, Pat and Bill all played league football with Collingwood....

    , Collingwood
    Collingwood Football Club
    The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

     and Hawthorn
    Hawthorn Football Club
    The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...

    , father of Bill Twomey Jr, Pat Twomey
    Pat Twomey
    Pat Twomey was an Australian rules footballer, who played in the Victorian Football League, .Pat Twomey joined Collingwood in 1947, he had two stints with the Magpies, punctured by a spell with country club Warragul. Pat mainly played across the centreline or on a flank and started as a winger...

    , and Mick Twomey
    Mick Twomey
    Michael Twomey is a former Australian rules footballer, who played in the Victorian Football League, .At in height, Collingwood's Mick Twomey was taller than his brothers Bill and Pat, and played most of his 157 VFL games between 1951 and 1961 as a ruckman.Over the course of his 10 year career...

    , and grandfather of David Twomey
    David Twomey
    David Twomey is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League ....

    ; won in 12.1 seconds, running off a handicap of 8 ½ yards.
  • 1929: Clarrie Hearn
    Clarrie Hearn
    Clarence 'Clarrie' Hearn was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League .Hearn spent his early career as a defender, mostly at half-back...

    , Essendon
    Essendon Football Club
    The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

    ; won in 11 and fifteen sixteenths of a second, running off a handicap of 10 yards.
  • 1936: Ron McCann, Collingwood
    Collingwood Football Club
    The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

    ; won in 12 and 4 sixths of a second, running off a handicap of 6½ yards.
  • 1938: Jack Grant
    Jack Grant
    Jack W. Grant was an Australian rules footballer who played with Geelong and Fitzroy in the VFL.Grant usually played on the half forward or half back flanks....

    , Geelong
    Geelong Football Club
    The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed The Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club, named after and based in the city of Geelong, playing in the Australian Football League . The club has been the VFL/AFL premiers nine times, with a record equalling 3 in the AFL era. Geelong has also...

     and Fitzroy
    Fitzroy Football Club
    The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...

    ; won in 11 and eleven-sixteenths seconds, running off a handicap of 11 ½ yards.
  • 1952: Lance Mann
    Lance Mann
    Lance Mann is a professional footrunner and a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League .-Footballer :A talented wingman, Mann was recruited from the Albury Football Club....

    , Essendon
    Essendon Football Club
    The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

    ; won in 11 and fourteen-sixteenths seconds, running off a handicap of 7 ¼ yards.
    • Team-mate Norm McDonald, Essendon, running off a handicap of 5 yards, came second.
  • 1971: Trevor McGregor, Fitzroy
    Fitzroy Football Club
    The Fitzroy Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Lions, is an Australian rules football club formed in 1883 to represent the inner Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, Victoria and was a foundation member club of the Victorian Football League on its inception in 1897...

    ; won in 11.7 seconds, running off a handicap of 7 ¼ yards.

Relocation

On a number of occasions there has been discussions about relocating the Stawell Gift for economic reasons.

On 14 February 2001, after much discussion about moving the event to Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Premier Steve Bracks
Steve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....

 announced on ABC Local Radio that the Gift would be staying in Stawell and the State Government's $40,000 contribution would continue.

On 14 July 2009, it was announced that Ballarat had offered the Stawell Athletic Club more than $1 million in cash and incentives, including a $20,000 grant to the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame, to relocate the Gift from Central Park in Stawell to Ballarat City Oval for five years. The Club released a statement through Secretary Ian Lawrie stating they were considering the offer but the "decision is, without question, the most difficult ever undertaken by the Committee of the Stawell Athletic Club". He said the Club would investigate and exhaust all other options to ensure the survival of Australia’s most famous footrace.

On 16 September 2009 Victorian Premier John Brumby
John Brumby
John Mansfield Brumby , is an Australian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became Premier after the resignation of Steve Bracks. He also served as the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. He contested his first election...

 announced more than $300,000 State Government funding to keep the Stawell Gift in Stawell.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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