Stawell Gift
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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 Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, Stawell in the
Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. T ...
district of western
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
. the carnival encompasses events for both men and women of all ages and abilities, across distances from . The final of the iconic main race is run on grass over up a slight gradient. Competitors are
handicapped Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
according to their form, with each competitor "marked" by between 0 m and 10 m or more to theoretically reach the finish line at the same time. This process is administered by the
Victorian Athletic League The Victorian Athletic League organises professional footrunning events ranging from 70 to 3200 metres. The most famous of these events is the Stawell Gift which has been run since 1878 and hosts the richest footrace in Australia. Many other gifts a ...
(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 a favourable handicap. In 2020 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...
the race was postponed, but in May 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.


History

The Stawell Gift began in 1878 at the end of the
gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New Z ...
, as the "Easter Gift" of £24 (several thousands in today's dollars) conducted by 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. 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 a $40,000AUD first prize. The finals are televised live around Australia, and internationally. The event was historically run over . In 1973 the race converted to the
metric system The metric system is a system of measurement that succeeded the Decimal, decimalised system based on the metre that had been introduced in French Revolution, France in the 1790s. The historical development of these systems culminated in the d ...
, and the distance was altered to , essentially an identical distance. Electronic timing was introduced in 1982 thus allowing higher precision in race results. In July 2009 the city of
Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
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 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
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 was won by Edward Ware of Victoria, and the women's event was won by Hayley Orman from South Australia.


Format

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 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 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 the best chance of a victory. The handicapping system often ends up pitting local runners against international professionals.
Gambling Gambling (also known as betting or gaming) is the wagering of something of value ("the stakes") on a random event with the intent of winning something else of value, where instances of strategy are discounted. Gambling thus requires three el ...
is allowed in the venue, and there is an extensive
bookmaker A bookmaker, bookie, or turf accountant is an organization or a person that accepts and pays off bets on sporting and other events at agreed-upon odds. History The first bookmaker, Ogden, stood at Newmarket in 1795. Range of events Bookma ...
'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, the Women's Gift had equal prizemoney with the men's for the first time.


Records


Winners

Winners of the Stawell Gift have been: Notes:
# Converted to
metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...
distances in 1973.
* Commenced electronic timing in 1982.


1878: First winner

The inaugural winner was William J. "Bill" Millard (1855–1939), a
farmer A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, raising living organisms for food or raw materials. The term usually applies to people who do some combination of raising field crops, orchards, vineyards, poultry, or other livestock. A farmer mig ...
from
Condah, Victoria Condah is a small town in south west Victoria, Australia and is located on the Henty Highway north of Heywood. At the 2006 census, Condah and the surrounding area had a population of 272. It is about to north-west of Lake Condah, Budj Bim N ...
, who reputedly trained by chasing
kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern gre ...
s. Millard, running off 3 yards, won the race when the leading runner, W.J. Lambell, of
Birregurra Birregurra is a town on Gulidjan Country in Victoria, Australia approximately south-west of Melbourne. The town is located within the Colac Otway Shire. At the 2016 census, Birregurra had a population of 828. Birregurra is an Aboriginal word t ...
, 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 the Stawell Gift in 1997.


Winners from scratch

Only two people have ever won the men's race running from scratch (0 m handicap): *Multiple time Malagasy Olympian
Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa Jean-Louis Ravelomanantsoa (30 March 1943 – 27 September 2016) was a Malagasy athlete who specialized in the 100 metres. At the 1964 Summer Olympics he was eliminated in the heats in both 100 and 200 metres. At the 1968 Summer Olympics he wa ...
in 1975. Due to winning from scratch, Ravelomanantsoa also technically holds the fastest ever time of 12.0 seconds. *
Athens 2004 The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
and London 2012 Olympian and multiple Australian 100m and 200m champion Joshua Ross in 2005.


Multiple winners

Three sprinters have won the race more than once: *Bill Howard (1966, 1967) (the only back-to-back winner); *Barry Foley (1970, 1972); *Joshua Ross (2003, 2005).


Stawell Gift Olympians

Four Australian Olympians have won the Stawell Gift: *
Dean Capobianco Dean Capobianco (born 11 May 1970) is a former Australian athlete, known best as a Sprint (running), sprinter. He won the 1990 Stawell Gift and represented Australia in the 200 metres at the Athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's 200 me ...
(1990) – 1992 Olympics, Barcelona & 1996 Olympics, Atlanta * Steve Brimacombe (1991) – 1996 Olympics, Atlanta *Andrew McManus (1992) – 2004 Olympics, Athens (Squad only, did not compete) * Joshua Ross (2003, 2005) – 2004 Olympics, Athens and 2012 Summer Olympics, London


VFL winners

The following Gift winners also played senior VFL football: * 1897:
George Stuckey George Stuckey (6 July 1871 – 15 March 1932) was an Australian rules footballer who played with and captained the Essendon Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Football Stuckey played as both a wingman and half back during ...
,
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...
; won in 12.2 seconds, running off a handicap of 12 yards, and was also captain of Essendon's 1897 premiership team. * 1899:
Norman Clark Norman Childers "Hackenschmidt" Clark (12 November 1878 – 26 December 1943) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) between 1905 and 1912. Family The son of Edward ...
,
Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
; won in 11.8 seconds, running off a handicap of 14½ yards. * 1900:
Dave Strickland David McKenzie Strickland (4 December 1877 – 31 December 1963) was an Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in A ...
, St Kilda, father of
Shirley Strickland Shirley Barbara de la Hunty AO, MBE (née Strickland; 18 July 1925 – 11 February 2004), known as Shirley Strickland during her early career, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports. ...
; won in 12 seconds, running off a handicap of 10 yards. * 1902:
Alf Tredinnick Alfred Ernest Tredinnick (16 June 1873 – 19 May 1910) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Tredinnick played football for Rovers Football Club in the Western ...
,
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
; won in 12.2 seconds, running off 11½ yards. * 1914:
Billy Robinson William Alfred Robinson (18 September 1938 – 3 March 2014) was a British professional wrestler and wrestling instructor. Robinson was one of the few wrestlers who was successful in several continents (Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania ...
,
Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...
; won in 11.8 seconds, running off 12 yards. * 1924: Bill Twomey, Sr., Collingwood and
Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...
, father of
Bill Twomey Jr Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...
,
Pat Twomey Pat Twomey (2 April 1929 – 22 November 1969) was an Australian rules footballer, who played in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Pat Twomey joined Collingwood in 1947. He had two stints with the Magpies, separated by a spell with country ...
, and
Mick Twomey Michael John Twomey (25 September 1931 – 14 December 2015) was an Australian rules footballer who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). At 185cm (6'1") in height, Collingwood's Mick Twomey was ta ...
, and grandfather of
David Twomey David Twomey (born 21 February 1961) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL). A member of Collingwood's famous Twomey family, David is the grandson of Bill Twomey senior and ...
; won in 12.1 seconds, running off a handicap of 8½ yards. * 1929:
Clarrie Hearn Clarence Hugh Hearn (13 November 1905 – 1 April 1981) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon Football Club, Essendon in the Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of John Hearn (1866 ...
,
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...
; won in 11 and fifteen sixteenths of a second, running off a handicap of 10 yards. * 1936: Ron McCann, Collingwood; won in 12 and 4 sixteenths of a second, running off a handicap of 6½ yards. * 1938: Jack Grant,
Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...
and
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
; won in 11 and eleven-sixteenths seconds, running off a handicap of 11½ yards. * 1952:
Lance Mann Lance Gibson Mann (12 July 1930 – 13 March 2015) was a professional footrunner and a former Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Footballer A talented wingman, Mann started his football career in Walwa, bef ...
,
Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...
; won in 11 and fourteen-sixteenths seconds, running off a handicap of 7¼ yards. * 1956: Bill Williams,
Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...
; won in 11.8 seconds, running off a handicap of 12 yards. * 1971: Treva McGregor,
Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...
; won in 11.7 seconds, running off a handicap of 7¼ yards.


Relocation

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 the event to
Docklands Stadium Docklands Stadium, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Marvel Stadium, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment stadium in the Docklands area of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Construction started in October 1997 and was ...
in Melbourne, Premier
Steve Bracks Stephen Phillip Bracks (born 15 October 1954) is a former Australian politician and was the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Labor Party and was party leader and premier from 1999 ...
announced on ABC Local Radio that the Gift would be staying in Stawell and the
State Government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
's $40,000 contribution would continue. On 14 July 2009, it was announced that
Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...
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 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 John Mansfield Brumby (born 21 April 1953) is the current Chancellor of La Trobe University and former Victorian Labor Party politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2007 to 2010. He became leader of the Victorian Labor Party and premier ...
announced more than $300,000
State Government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...
funding to keep the Stawell Gift in Stawell.


Womens Gift

* Race was 100m from 1989 to 2005, and over the traditional gift distance of 120m since 2006.


Further reading

* *


Footnotes


References

* Watt, Gary. Stawell Gift Almanac. Legacy Books (2008). Includes the details of every heat, semi-final and final ever run. Available from the Stawell Athletic Club.
Pandora Internet Archive of the Stawell Gift


Sport and Religion over Easter, 10 April 1998 *

6 September 2005 Transcript * Esthonian Enters for Stawell Gift.,
The Argus (Australia) ''The Argus'' was an Australian daily morning newspaper in Melbourne from 2 June 1846 to 19 January 1957, and was considered to be the general Australian newspaper of record for this period. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most ...
, Saturday 24 February 1934
Page 18
* Wells ( Samuel Garnet Wells (1885-1972))
"Stawell Stalwarts", ''The Age'', (Monday, 14 April 1952), p.12.


External links


Official Website of the Stawell Gift

Tourism Victoria Site


from
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
website. {{authority control Athletics competitions in Australia Sprint (running) 1878 establishments in Australia Sports competitions in Victoria (Australia) Wimmera Recurring sporting events established in 1878 Stawell, Victoria Running in Australia