Findon Skid Kids: Chad Cornes revisits his childhood at Findon in the Adelaide City region of South Australia

Paul Kelly's famous song, 'From little Things Big Things Grow' could have been written for this icon of the western suburbs. Embracing the motto "if you build it they will come" the locals created a little cycle speedway track that's become the social glue for a working class community.

"We've got a saying at the Findon Skid Kids... Once a Findon Skid Kids, always a Findon Skid Kid," laughed Mick Harley. "It's been going for 48 years and most Sundays you'll see one of the old members coming back just to say hello. They could have been racing thirty or forty years ago but they still drop in to see how the Skid Kids are going."

Back in 1958 this was vacant land surrounded by more and more housing trust homes. Mick Harley managed to convince the Woodville council to leave aside some land for a cycle speedway - a pedal powered replica of the motorbike speedways he'd fallen in love with while growing up as a lad in England.

Mick even managed to talk the local Council grader driver into flattening out a section of Reserve Parade, which was then used as the gravel dump for the nearby roads. From such little things, big things grew.

In a frenetic start, the boys and girls set off on a three-lap adventure, in which the plan is to get to the front and stay there. It's a school of hard knocks with plenty of tumbles but it's a ride that's taking one rider, Bobby McMillan to England to compete in the World Championship.

"There's going to be riders from England, the US, Ireland, Wales and Australia," he said. The club is looking for sponsors for next year's World Championships so they can defend their World Title.

The original Findon track was a lot bigger than the current track. In order to beat the Poms at their own game, the locals decided to make the track smaller like the ones in the UK.

The sport actually started with kids cycling in the compacted bomb craters scattered throughout English cities after the German air raids in World War Two. By the fifties, cycle speedway was up and running in suburban Findon.

"The reason the club got going was to keep the kids off the street. That was during the 50s when there wasn't much to do. Now, of course there's a lot more things to do but it's still very popular with the young kids. They love it."

The riders used to perform lots or tricks - not so much these days. But every so often, the kids wheel out their famous party piece, the "Wall of Fire". Bobby is up for the challenge. It's his first time and not surprisingly his eyes show a little fear. But who wouldn't be, when you see what happens next.

It all ends well yet again providing plenty to talk about in the clubrooms later in the evening. And the rooms will be packed on March 1st 2008, when the club holds it's 50th birthday re-union. All ex Findon Skid Kids are asked to check the website www.cyclespeedway.asn.au for details. Races are held at the Findon Skid Kids Cycle Speedway every Sunday at 1pm.

Findon Skid Kids
Cycle Speedway
Reserve Parade
Findon
Meetings Sunday 1.00pm

50th Birthday Reunion
March 1st 2008

Published 16th July 2006