The popular Rotary Billy Cart Derby as part of Classic Yass is “definitely, definitely, definitely on” in 2018, said Yass Rotary Club member and Yass Valley Council Deputy Mayor Kim Turner.
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Adventure seekers in the form of Darth Vader and the pink shoe will once again race down Rossi St on Saturday, November 3.
Some people thought the Billy Cart Derby was no more after the Rotary Club announced in May it couldn’t support the event any longer due to costs and logistics.
However, Yass Valley Council came to the rescue in June, offering up council staff as volunteers for the day and to cover insurance costs.
Mr Turner, who will be racing, said he knew of many other locals and people from as far as Melbourne working on billy carts for the derby, but kept his lips sealed on any names.
Some residents remember making and racing billy carts as early as the 1940s
For those eager to enter, Turner is currently organising a workshop at Yass Valley Men’s Shed and Yass High School ahead of the big day. More details to come soon.
The Billy Cart Derby has been running in Yass since at least 1952, when it was part of the Memorial Hall Street Carnival, according to an old advert in the newspaper.
Some residents remember making and racing billy carts as early as the 1940s, however, finding parts in back sheds and the tip.
There are many fond memories of the Billy Cart Derby, with the same residents recalling a billy cart no one could keep up with in the 1950s. It was called Thunderbird and had a body made from a former World War II aeroplane fuel tank.
It was all about bringing the community together
- Tom Milton
By 1955, it seemed everyone in town was keen to get involved and rumours circulated who would enter in another newspaper post, with ten pounds up for grabs for the winner.
Around 1989, a few residents including Tom Milton, who now lives out near Wollongong, made the Billy Cart Derby a part of their three-day fishing carnival over the long weekend in November.
Mr Milton said, “It was all about bringing the community together.”
The Rotary Billy Cart Derby then became part of the Classic Yass weekend in 2010.
Over the years, billy carts have gotten smarter and faster and, worried about safety with a near accident last year, organisers have decided to half the prize money, although new, shiny trophies will be up for grabs.
First place will get around $150 and second place $75.
Racers will still be on the clock too, with a police gun and top timers recording every second at the finish line.
