37-532: Arthur Postle (1881–1965), Australian athlete David E. Postle (1863–1939), American architecture Herbert Postle (1884–1961), Australian politician Joy Postle (1896–1989), American environmentalist Martin Postle (born 1950), British art historian Matt Postle (born 1970), Welsh racing cyclist See also [ edit ] Postles (surname) [REDACTED] Surname list This page lists people with
74-416: A $ 40,000AUD first prize. The finals are televised live around Australia, and internationally. The event was historically run over 130 yards (118.9 m). In 1973 the race converted to the metric system , and the distance was altered to 120 metres (131.2 yd), essentially an identical distance. Electronic timing was introduced in 1982 thus allowing higher precision in race results. In July 2009
111-494: A clinking start and the Irishman led for most of the way. Fifty yards from home Postle caught his opponent and came on to snatch the verdict. – The Perth's Mirror on Postle's defeat of Day at Kalgoorlie. In 1906, in front of a 20,000-strong crowd at Kalgoorlie gold mine, Postle defeated Beauchamp Day , a champion Irish runner sponsored by promoter Rufus Naylor , in a seventy-five-yard spring. Postle's 7.20-second time
148-513: A diamond-encrusted necklace. Old Kalgoorlieites who throw their minds back to April, 1907, when the big pedestrian meetings were held at Kalgoorlie, will remember the deeds of the Australian wonder; anyone who saw the great match on the Boulder racecourse between Postle and the champion Irish runner, Beauchamp Day, would agree that Postle was a marvel among the spike-footed brigade ... It was
185-596: A favourable handicap. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia the race was postponed, but in March the race was cancelled, the first time since World War 2. In 2021, branded as the "Powercor Stawell Gift", the race was run at its usual Easter long weekend dates on 3–5 April. The Stawell Gift began in 1878 at the end of the gold rush , as the "Easter Gift" of £24 (several thousands in today's dollars) conducted by
222-474: A number of emblems to represent his nationality, in an era before standardised colours and emblems were used by Australian sportsmen. In addition to his crimson vest he wore green shorts with gold trim, and his shirt had an emu and a kangaroo, one on each breast. As Postle's notoriety grew, a rivalry began between Jack Donaldson – a prolific Australian sprinter nicknamed 'Blue Streak' – and himself. Postle and American runner Charles Holway challenged Donaldson to
259-612: A race at Johannesburg in February 1910 to decide who would be crowned World Champion over a one-hundred yard sprint. Though Postle began quickest, he was overtaken by Donaldson at eighty yards and the latter was victorious by 2.4 yards. Postle and Donaldson continued their rivalry, with the former dominating shorter sprints and the latter commanding the one-hundred yard runs – aside from on one occasion in 1912 when Postle defeated his rival in runs of seventy-five, one-hundred and fifty and two-hundred yard springs, setting new world records for
296-431: A runner from early on in his career, and after leaving education in 1893 to work on his father's farm he continued to compete in local athletics tournaments. For one, he needed to catch an early morning train, which he missed. He nevertheless decided to walk the distance to the track, which took him all day. His father disapproved of Postle's running aspirations; the family farm struggled constantly against drought. Postle
333-662: A running-shoe shop, and then traded second-hand goods in Gympie . He failed as a trader in the markets of South Brisbane and became a farmer in Coopers Plains . Through the 1930s he published his autobiography, The Crimson Flash , in weekly instalments in The Sporting Globe , a Melbourne newspaper. The pieces would go on to be collated into a published autobiography edited by Gary Parker in 1995. His mother died in 1937, and his father twelve months later. During
370-564: A year after his marriage to an Englishwoman. He ventured into business, and then became a farmer until full-retirement during the Second World War . He had four children who all survived him upon his death in Brisbane . Edward Seldon Sears wrote that Postle, together with Donaldson, had "few peers among sprinters of their day" and since his retirement he has been considered one of "the greatest of all Australian runners". Postle
407-749: Is different from Wikidata All set index articles Arthur Postle Arthur Benjamin Postle (8 March 1881 – 21 April 1965) was an Australian professional athlete, one of the country's most renowned sprinters in the early twentieth century. Born in Queensland and becoming a professional runner in 1902, Postle rose to prominence for the defeat of Beauchamp Day – then an Irish world champion – at Kalgoorlie in Western Australia in December 1906. Known thereafter as 'The Crimson Flash' for his coloured running costume, Postle also acquired
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#1732780952324444-424: Is run on a 120 m 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 system is that all runners should, 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
481-471: The Second World War he sold the farm and retired to Wynnum , though he continued to coach runners well into the 1950s. He was still a regular at local running tracks, sharing his expertise with young runners. He coached Norma Croker , later an Olympic gold medal winner. He fell ill on 21 April 1965 and died in an ambulance. Streets in Brisbane and Canberra were named after him, as is a seventy-meter sprint run every year at Stawell Gift in his honour. He
518-409: The surname Postle . If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name (s) to the link. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Postle&oldid=1166012029 " Category : Surnames Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description
555-778: 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 announced more than $ 300,000 State Government funding to keep
592-500: The Stawell Athletic Club in a program of seven races, most run in multiple heats. It has been raced every year since, except for four years during the Second World War, and in 2020 due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic . 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, with
629-582: The Stawell Gift in 1997. Only two people have ever won the men's race running from scratch (0 m handicap): Three sprinters have won the race more than once: Four Australian Olympians have won the Stawell Gift: The following Gift winners also played senior VFL football: 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
666-534: The Women's Gift had equal prizemoney with the men's for the first time. The list of winners of the Stawell Gift: Notes: # Converted to metric distances in 1973. * Commenced electronic timing in 1982. The inaugural winner was William J. "Bill" Millard (1855–1939), a farmer from Condah, Victoria , who reputedly trained by chasing kangaroos . Millard, running off 3 yards, won the race when
703-422: The best chance of a victory. The handicapping system often ends up pitting local runners against international professionals. Gambling is allowed in the venue, and there is an extensive bookmaker '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. In 2015,
740-411: The carnival encompasses events for both men and women of all ages and abilities, across distances from 70 to 3,200 metres (230 to 10,500 feet). The final of the iconic main race is run on grass over 120 m (390 ft) up a slight gradient. Competitors are handicapped according to their form, with each competitor "marked" by between 0 and 10 m (0 and 33 ft) or more to theoretically reach
777-558: The city of Ballarat made a bid to "poach" the Gift. They offered the Stawell Athletic Club A$ 1.25 million to host the race from 2010, for five years. At this time the Gift had financial difficulties. The offer was withdrawn later in July. The Victorian state government "ruled out" providing monetary assistance. In 2010 the Gift track was found to be around 3 metres too long, with times much slower than expected during
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#1732780952324814-605: The event to Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Premier Steve Bracks 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
851-559: The finish line at the same time. This process is administered by the Victorian Athletic League (VAL). 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
888-414: The heats. In 2019 the Gift was having trouble attracting sponsors. This resulted in a reduction in prizemoney. In 2018 the prize pool for the men's and women's Gift was A$ 40,000 each race, which was reduced by A$ 15,000 in 2019. The Northern Grampians Shire Council offered assistance. It has been estimated that the Gift contributes A$ 5 million to the local economy. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
925-623: The latter. Their record head-to-head would eventually lie at 15:6 in favour of Donaldson. Postle would also rival with Holway himself, and challenged him to several head-to-head races during his career. In October 1912, Postle married an Englishwoman, Edna Leadbeater, in Lancashire , England. Leadbeater was the sister-in-law of Postle's old coach, Todd. The couple would go on to have four children. After retiring from running in 1913, Postle owned an auctioneering business in Memerambi , ran
962-457: The leading runner, W.J. Lambell, of Birregurra , running off 11 yards, fell two yards before the finish of the race. In 1889, aged 34, he won the 220 yards handicap at Stawell, running off 18 yards; and, at the same meeting, having been run out in the Gift's heats, he came third (off 11 yards) in the consolation race, the 120-yard Jubilee Handicap . Millard married twice, had 22 children, and died in 1939. His great-grandson, Daniel Millard, won
999-399: The maximum handicap 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
1036-568: The moniker "The Mighty Postle" for his defeat of Bill Growcott two years later in England, Growcott being England's champion runner. Postle's career took him throughout the United Kingdom and to New Zealand as well as across Australia, where he had a rivalry with fellow Australian champion Jack Donaldson . Postle set world records for fifty, sixty, seventy-five, eighty and two-hundred yard sprints during his career, which ended in 1913
1073-420: The race was initially postponed. The Stawell Athletic Club was considering "… options to run the event later in the year". In May the 2020 race was cancelled, the first time since World War 2. Powercor Australia are the naming rights sponsor for five years, starting in 2021. The 2021 Gift, branded as the "Powercor Stawell Gift" and the 139th event, ran on its usual Easter long weekend dates of 3–5 April. It
1110-408: The same year he set yet another world record, running sixty yards in 6.1 seconds. His defeat of Bill Growcott in England, and his trademark crimson running gear, earned him the nicknames 'The Mighty Postle' and 'The Crimson Flash'. The Albany Advertiser recalled in 1937 that "he was always smartly attired in bright red silk singlet and knickers" which led to the latter moniker. He also opted to use
1147-477: The start of his run. He used an unusual starting technique, with his left side prominent and his fingers spread wide. He "emphasised rhythmical breathing during springing, followed his sessions with cold showers, employed an experienced masseur who used oil... and took iron tonic occasionally and castor oil". Postle adhered to a strict diet – foods with high fat contents including milk, eggs and steak – largely based on experience rather than scientific research, which
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1184-511: Was a new world record, and his achievements attracted athlete Jack Todd who became Postle's coach. He returned to the event a year later in 1907 and, being beaten in the semi-final unexpectedly by J. Condon, immediately proceeded to jump the perimeter fence and run to a local bookmakers to place money on Condon winning the final, an event which passed into folklore and is remembered often in Australian sprinting. In 1908, at Durban Postle ran fifty yards in 5.20 seconds, another record, and later
1221-648: Was born in Springside near Pittsworth , in the Darling Downs of the Australian state of Queensland . Part of a large family, Postle was the second-oldest of nine children for Arthur Benjamin Postle Snr. and Frances Postle, née Honor. Postle's father was born in Melbourne , while his mother was English. Postle was schooled at Springside State School , starting there in 1888. He showed much promise as
1258-516: Was coached instead by his uncle who owned a farm next door on which he had cut a running track. After years work on his father's farm, Postle left to pursue his athletic career in 1899, while his brothers all remained to continue farming. Postle's early, unsuccessful, attempts in the Stawell Gift in 1901 and 1903 garnered for him some local notoriety, and he became a professional runner in 1902. His training focused largely on his technique at
1295-553: Was inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. Stawell Gift The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. It is the main event in an annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, Stawell in the Grampian Mountains district of western Victoria . As of 2016
1332-949: Was minimal at the time. He was victorious in games held at Charters Towers and Townsville in the winter of 1904–05, becoming "unbeatable up to eighty yards". In April 1905 he won one-hundred and thirty and four-hundred and forty yard sprints at Bendigo , and in June he was victorious in a one-hundred yard run in Sydney. He returned to Townsville in September to come second in a seventy-five-yard sprint; he went back to Charters Towers in October and won prize money for his racing – equivalent to 130 Pound Sterling ; he won £75 more in January, and twice again in February 1906, across several races. His later defeat of South African Reggie Walker brought him
1369-492: Was won by Edward Ware of Victoria, and the women's event was won by Hayley Orman from South Australia. 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 two hours before the final, with only semi-final winners advancing to the final. Six semi-finals were first run in 1988, before which there were only five semi-finals. The Gift
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