Today, I had the pleasure to attend the unveiling of a Memorial Plaque embedded in the footpath outside the residence of Jeff Freeman's inner-Sydney home by the Mayor of Woollahra, Susan Wynn in memory of the charismatic Australian Speedway legend and all round good guy Jeffrey Freeman.
As a young man growing up in the 'Shire' it was imperative that my Saturday nights were spent at Sydney's Empire Speedway Showground Royale hanging over the safety fence above the Bullpens dodging the clods of dolomite & dirt that these Daredevils would throw up at you.
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| Jeff Freeman’s ‘awesome’ Offenhauser No. 75 Midget Speedcar. |
We watched in complete awe of their skills on the cinders as they raced around the 1/3 mile track entertaining 30,000 spectators every Saturday evening during the summer.
Every Saturday afternoon I would catch the 'red rattler' (train) from suburban Miranda to Central Railway station, then board the bus that then took thousands of fans to the nearby Sydney Showground to be entertained like you would not believe by these insane men getting their thrills racing around a small track risking their lives at breakneck speeds.
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| The great man himself, Jeff Freeman, in the mid-'60s |
When I talk about these halcyon days to today's younger generation, they seem to think that the current Parramatta Speedway is the be all to end all, well unfortunately they have absolutely no idea of what Speedway racing was like in the '60s at the mighty Royale.
Every Saturday night, 30,000 plus spectators would cramp into the Sydney Showground to watch Solo Bikes, Sidecars, Midgets, Super modified, and if you were lucky the last event of the evening would be a Demolition Derby where the winner is the last man and car standing.
In a total of 107 career feature race starts at the Sydney Showground, Freeman won 19, placed second 15 times, with 14 thirds. That’s a 45% podium strike rate.
My hero was none other than Jeff Freeman, a working class hero, motor mechanic, that also worked for Qantas Airways in their sheet metal shop. Jeff lived at Unit 4, 186 Glenmore Road, Paddington with his mother Mayfree. Jeff was born in Mudgee, NSW.
This man's name will always be embedded at the very top of the list whenever anyone talks about Speedway in Australia. From a very humble beginning this awesome Speedcar driver rose to be Australia's greatest Champion bar none in the few short years that he spent on this planet.
Now this is the sort of man I am talking about, now listen up you may learn something.
Every Saturday night, 30,000 plus spectators would cramp into the Sydney Showground to watch Solo Bikes, Sidecars, Midgets, Super modified, and if you were lucky the last event of the evening would be a Demolition Derby where the winner is the last man and car standing.
In a total of 107 career feature race starts at the Sydney Showground, Freeman won 19, placed second 15 times, with 14 thirds. That’s a 45% podium strike rate.
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| Snippets and highlights from a great racing career cut short by a fatal accident at Westmead Speedway |
My hero was none other than Jeff Freeman, a working class hero, motor mechanic, that also worked for Qantas Airways in their sheet metal shop. Jeff lived at Unit 4, 186 Glenmore Road, Paddington with his mother Mayfree. Jeff was born in Mudgee, NSW.
This man's name will always be embedded at the very top of the list whenever anyone talks about Speedway in Australia. From a very humble beginning this awesome Speedcar driver rose to be Australia's greatest Champion bar none in the few short years that he spent on this planet.
Now this is the sort of man I am talking about, now listen up you may learn something.
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| A close-up of the flying Freeman No.75 Offenhauser cockpit |
In photo [below] you can see a middle aged gentleman with a huge bandage on his mellon, his name is Peter Carrall, I spoke to him today to find out his story about why he was attending the ceremony, and this is what he told me.
At the age of seven Peter was a street kid, his Mum and Dad were hopeless alcoholics, Jeff Freeman befriended him and took him under his wing. Peter told me today that if it was not for Jeff Freeman he probably would be either dead or in jail.
And I bet you didn't know this about Jeff Freeman. He took the time to learn sign language for the deaf children who often attended the Speedway from various Deaf and Dumb schools. Jeff would meet his fans on the grass where the trackside Sinclair Stand is and talk to them in sign language.
At the age of seven Peter was a street kid, his Mum and Dad were hopeless alcoholics, Jeff Freeman befriended him and took him under his wing. Peter told me today that if it was not for Jeff Freeman he probably would be either dead or in jail.
And I bet you didn't know this about Jeff Freeman. He took the time to learn sign language for the deaf children who often attended the Speedway from various Deaf and Dumb schools. Jeff would meet his fans on the grass where the trackside Sinclair Stand is and talk to them in sign language.
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| Long time Freeman fan, Peter Carrall, made sure he was in attendance at today's dedication to pay tribute to an old friend In the photo behind, that's a much younger Peter Carrall standing in-between Jeff Freeman and NSW Champion, John Harvey |
While I am on a roll I must tell you about a couple of Jeff's American competitors that I was fortunate enough to see race against him here in Australia in the '60s.
Sherman 'Shove em' Cleveland. (1937-1966) This guy was truly a Bad Ass in a Midget or a Sprint Car. I watched this guy on a number of occasions when he toured Down-Under in the middle '60s. Unfortunately Sherman was killed at Calistoga Fairgrounds in Napa County in California shortly after he returned home from one of his trips to Australia. He was only 29-years-old.
Bob 'Two Gun' Tattersal. He was the greatest American driver to ever set foot in Australia. 'Two Gun' dominated the Sydney Showground for a decade. The sixties were Tattersal's years not only at the Sydney Showground Royale but other capital city venues. Tattersal died on October 27th 1971 of illness way too young at 47-years-old.
Bob 'Two Gun' Tattersal. He was the greatest American driver to ever set foot in Australia. 'Two Gun' dominated the Sydney Showground for a decade. The sixties were Tattersal's years not only at the Sydney Showground Royale but other capital city venues. Tattersal died on October 27th 1971 of illness way too young at 47-years-old.
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| Jeff Freeman’s Golden Fleece Trophy for winning the 1965 Australian Grand Prix. |
Now, why am I telling you all this information?
These Americans were at the top of their game when our man from down under 'kicked their arse'. As a matter of fact when Jeff Freeman won the Golden Fleece Australian Grand Prix in 1965 Bob Tattersal had organised for our local hero to go to America to compete in 18 fixtures throughout the US.
Unfortunately we will really never know how good Jeff Freeman would have been, because less that 2-months later after winning the Australian Grand Prix Jeff Freeman was killed instantly during a 15-lap Main Event race on a rain soaked track at Westmead, NSW on Mother's Day, May 9th 1965 - at just 27-years-old.
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| The former Freeman home as it stands today with the red arrow indicating the placement of today's new plaque on the footpath [see the photo below for full details] |
Unfortunately we will really never know how good Jeff Freeman would have been, because less that 2-months later after winning the Australian Grand Prix Jeff Freeman was killed instantly during a 15-lap Main Event race on a rain soaked track at Westmead, NSW on Mother's Day, May 9th 1965 - at just 27-years-old.
That day was one of the saddest days of my young life, because I was track-side on that fateful day to witness my hero killed.
I was only 18 years of age at that time, I can remember it just like it was yesterday. At the time, Jeff Freeman's funeral was the biggest sporting funeral in Sydney.
Jeff was laid to rest in his town of birth, Mudgee, NSW, at the Mudgee Lawn Cemetery. When his mother, Mayfree, passed in 1995, she requested to be buried with her very special boy.
And that my friends is another tale from my Highway of life.
I hope that you enjoyed the memories of a very special human being that went way to soon. RIP Jeff, because you gave us so many wonderful memories and you were always a true gentleman.
Stay safe my friends.
Ken
I was only 18 years of age at that time, I can remember it just like it was yesterday. At the time, Jeff Freeman's funeral was the biggest sporting funeral in Sydney.
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| The newly installed plaque embedded in concrete in the footpath outside Jeff Freeman's former home located at Unit 4, 186 Glenmore Road, Paddington, NSW |
Jeff was laid to rest in his town of birth, Mudgee, NSW, at the Mudgee Lawn Cemetery. When his mother, Mayfree, passed in 1995, she requested to be buried with her very special boy.
And that my friends is another tale from my Highway of life.
I hope that you enjoyed the memories of a very special human being that went way to soon. RIP Jeff, because you gave us so many wonderful memories and you were always a true gentleman.
Stay safe my friends.
Ken
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