The long and short of it Port Pirie Speedway/Longtrack SA

n 1924 a small group of motorcyclists decided that a motorcycle club was needed to cater for the needs of motorcyclists in the Port Pirie area, the seaport on the east coast of the Spencer Gulf, 223km north of Adelaide. The group approached Mr. Frank Lock, who had a motorcycle repair shop, to ask if he could organize a public meeting in order to form a club. He agreed to this and the public meeting was held in a shop owned by a Mr. Whittard in Alexander St. This resulted in the formation of one of the first Motor Cycle Clubs in South Australia. It is believed that there were 15 members present at the first meeting but there are very few records available due to the passing of time and a fire in the early days, in which large amounts of valuable materials were destroyed. Despite this several names are known including Bill Cunningham, Cyril Richards, Charlie Berry, Bill Bailey, Frank Lock, Tom Keast, Reg Keast, and Cec Warren. The club became known as the “Gentleman’s club of the North”. Photographs collected and researched from the early days show