Coburg Harriers

History

The club was founded in 1896. The first general meeting of the club was held at the Public Hall in Coburg on Monday, 30 March 1896. The club affiliated with the Victorian Amateur Athletics Association (VAAA) on 13 May 1896. The first official uniform was all white, with royal blue facings and a royal blue capital C on the front. The club was located in a shed at the rear of the Corner Hotel, on the corner of Bell Street and Sydney Road, Coburg.

The first competitive event that Coburg Harriers participated in was on 20 September 1896 in the Victorian 10 mile Cross Country Championship where the Club finished 11th. The first representative at a National Championships was by T. Lobse who competed in the 100 yards handicap race held at the Sydney Cricket Ground in October 1897. Lobse won the third heat running off 9 yards in a time of 10.2 seconds. He eventually finished 4th in the first semi final.

Venues

In 1955, with the assistance of Coburg City Council, Harriers procured a cinder track at McDonald reserve in Coburg, one of only a few in Victoria at the time, costing £150. It was a major upgrade for the club at the time.

Current

It is currently affiliated with Athletics Victoria (AV) and competes in winter cross country competition and in summer, in the AV North West region track and field competition.

Olympic Games

Paralympic Games

Empire/Commonwealth Games

Neville Sillitoe was elected Head Athletics coach at the 1982 Commonwealth Games.

Other events

Coburg Harriers also host a 24-hour event in April each year, a 6 hour event in March each year and regular fun runs around the Coburg area. The 24-hour event is sanctioned by the Australian Ultra Runners Association (AURA) and in 2013 and 2014 will double as the Australian 24-hour track championships. The first 24-hour event was held on 16 and 17 October 1954, which was the first such event held in Melbourne.