Barrabool track appeal to go global

Andrew Mathieson
Campaigners trying to save the home of dirt-bike riding in Geelong are appealing to interstate and overseas’ donors in a last-ditch effort to buy Barrabool’s McAdam Park.
Geelong’s Sporting Motorcycle Club will publicise its plight on numerous motorbike internet sites around the world, adding a link to the club’s www.smcc.com.au page.
Club operations manager Peter Ovens said approaching other Australian clubs could help the Save McAdam Park campaign raise the $3 million before a September deadline to buy the site.
“We hope to re-launch the campaign because it has been sitting stagnant of late,” Mr Ovens said.
“We have just freshened up our website and it is working nicely, so we’re going to do a launch nationally and go internationally, too.”
The Sporting Motorcycle Club will host a Back to Barrabool event over both days of this weekend in a bid to raise thousands more dollars for the campaign.
Mr Ovens said the event would raise cash with a lucky gate draw, raffles, merchandising and sales of $100 tiles for the campaign’s “big picture wall”.
The club’s plight to retain its home for the past 45 years remains desperate despite State Government committing $1 million to the cause earlier this month.
Public support has raised about $150,000 in the past two years.
Mr Ovens hoped the picture wall would raise another $1 million.
“About half” the sales of wall tiles so far had been to buyers from outside the Geelong region, he said.
“With the Government pledge of $1 million, that’s going to make people believe we can do it,” Mr Ovens said.
“A lot of people have been hanging back and not wanting to put their money in.”