Winners Walk - Grafton to Inverell Cycle Classic bike race

It is very heartening to see the name of my cousin Leon Cook who became the First Local rider to win this gruelling event in 1965 as a member of the Gilgai Amateur Cycle Club. His win was also in an excellent time. He and his trainer Doug Chivers began the tactic of getting away from the bunch of leading riders at the Wire Gully hill. Also very proud of my deceased father Norm. He was responsible for the first track outside the metropolitan area to be lit with electric lighting for night riding competitions. At....Gilgai.Winners Walk is an excellent record of the Winners and Fastest Times of the Grafton to Inverell Cycle Race since its inception in 1961.But...It lacks SOMETHING .......I personally would like to see the addition of some Art Work. My suggestion would be a shadow painting of a small bunch of three cyclists competing. This could be placed on the solid fence and gateway of the old Bank Building.This work would be done in black or very dark grey paint and would be very cost effective and easily maintained. The members of the Inverell Art Society may be interested ???Another Art addition that could be placed on the Winners Walk could be a shadow sculpture of a fullsize cyclist standing beside their bike. This could be cut from steel plate and painted black then concreted in an upright position in the sidewalk parallel to the fence about 0.5 metres off the fence. This would allow visiting people to get behind and beside the sculpture and have their photo taken. A local company like Boss Engineering may even wish to manufacture and donate this kind of sculpture if approached by Race Organisers and Inverell Shire Council.Another technique to achieve my two suggestions is using realistic photographic printing of riders via a local firm such as Print Fresh.

Inverell such a beautiful tidy town.