Former Te Awamutu athlete reminisces winning Putaruru Bell over 60 years ago

Te Awamutu Putaruru Bell winners 1956-56. Photo / Supplied

In response to the December article about Te Awamutu athletes winning the Putaruru Bell for Waikato/Bay of Plenty cycling club supremacy, former Te Awamutu resident Ray Horan brought in some memorabilia relating to the club's previous success in the same event.

Ray met his wife Fay in the Te Awamutu Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club and they have been married since 1959.

The couple were part of the 1955-1956 team that won the bell alongside Ray's brother Les.

Waikato teams compete for the Putaruru Bell and must have seven athletes that can compete in various events so that they don't deny themselves points.

With a mix of track and field, each athlete must take part in four events. Points are allocated from first to sixth place.

For about four years Ray captained the team and enjoyed competing.

"We used to be involved with athletics. We used to have to mark the track and the lanes and everything down at Albert Park ourselves."

In the 1960s the club held a queen carnival to raise funds to build the Te Awamutu Stadium on Armstrong Avenue so that athletics and cycling had their own home.

"There was a huge queen carnival around here for quite a while. The athletic club ran an indoor race meeting where the Mobil service station is on the corner of Mahoe and Arawata Streets. Craik Motors it was."

Ray has lived in Tauranga for 50 years, but he still remembers his time at the athletic club fondly.

"We had three Waikato champions in the shotput, namely Arthur Husband as senior, Fay Nicholson as women's and Bill Kay, who has passed on now, as junior. The whole three were the Waikato champions and represented Waikato at the New Zealand championships."

"Every year we used to have the Te Awamutu Amateur Athletic and Cycling Club open day at Albert Park. All the Waikato clubs would come and compete in both athletics and cycling races."

In 1956 cycling was split off from the club to become Waipa Wheelers.