Back in 1964, Gerald Walsh won the Lancefield Gift by three metres in a brilliant time of 11.9 seconds, and his performance led to unfounded claims that “he must be a ring-in”.
So much so, that his winner’s prize money was held up for a week before he was finally paid.
On Sunday, 87-year-old Gerald and wife Gael made a nostalgic trip from Heidelberg back to Lancefield Park where the first Lancefield Gift meeting for about 60 years was being staged.
Gerald still keenly follows professional foot running, and was thrilled to meet some of the winners and place getters from Sunday’s races, and also converse with some of the day’s organisers.
Several of the close finishes on the day really captured his attention, and he was pleased to reflect on when he won the 1964 Lancefield Gift as a newcomer to professional foot running.
He took the sport up at the age of 25 after having played Australian Rules football professionally, with injury curtailing his footy.
“I suppose I was always a natural at running really fast, and was able to enter the Lancefield Gift.”
“This was only my second professional race and I was on the novice mark of around seven yards. The Gift was run over 130 yards,” he explained.
Very strong winds made for fast times that day, and off a middle handicap mark he was an effortless heat and then semi-final winner.
Gerald said he was suddenly the centre of attention, with some other runners and associates suggesting he should not have gone so fast and revealed his talent.
The final came round, and Gerald ‘streeted’ the field, and the performance of the virtual unknown (at that stage) set some tongues wagging.
He was completely taken aback by any suggestion at the time he may be a ‘ring-in” and — as investigations proved — he was exonerated and received his prize money.
“It was 70 or 75 pounds,” he recalled.
Winning the 1964 Lancefield Gift actually stopped him being a sprinter, as the handicapper pulled his mark severely.
Gerald decided to switch to middle-distance running. He even ran over a mile at Epping at one stage.
He recalled that he had managed to win a 400 metres event at Stawell, had another win at Bendigo, and competed at various venues for years.
What does he think of professional running at the present time?
“I think it was more popular back then than nowadays,” he said.
Gerald worked as a banker when he was young, then switched to bricklaying for the rest of his working days.
Why did Gerald come to Sunday’s Lancefield Gift?
“A friend knew it was on, and knew I had won there many years ago, so he told me about it.”
His wife is also keen on the sport, and usually gets the job as driver to get to the venues.
They were both delighted to come back to Lancefield so many years on, and hope there’s a Lancefield Gift for many more years to come.
