Coburg Harriers is an athletics club located in Coburg, in the inner norther suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. The club is based at the Harold Stevens Athletics Track.
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.
Coburg Harriers in International competition
Olympic Games
W. "Victor" Aitken in London 1908
Robert Prentice in Helsinki 1952
Joan Morrison in Helsinki in 1952
Ray Smith in Melbourne in 1956
Neville Sayers in Melbourne in 1956
Robert Grant in Melbourne in 1956
Herb Elliott in Rome in 1960
Raelene Boyle in Mexico City in 1968 and Munich in 1972 and Montreal in 1976 (also selected for Moscow in 1980 but did not compete) Jean Roberts in Mexico City in 1968
Paralympic Games
Jodie Willis in 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004
Lachlan Jones in 1996, 2000 and 2004
Empire/Commonwealth Games
Robert Prentice in 1950
John Marks in 1950
Ross Price in 1950
William De Gruchy in 1950
Herb Elliot in 1958
Keith Wheeler in 1962 and 1966
Carolyn Lewis in 1962
Jean Roberts in 1962, 1966, 1970 and 1974
Noel Clough in 1966
Raelene Boyle in 1970, 1974, 1978 and 1982
John Fleming in 1982
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; it was the first such event ever held in Melbourne.