"WHEELBARROW DERBY"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22142, 22 June 1935, Page 13

"WHEELBARROW DERBY"

BOTH MEN SUFFERING JOURNEY UP MOUNTAIN (Received June 22, 12.25 a.m.) MELBOURNE. June 21 In the "Wheelbarrow Derby" to-day Mr. T. Parkinson pushed the barrow containing Mr. S. Evans up Mount Buffalo about four miles through three inches of snow. His ankles were swathed in bandages. He has only about five miles to go now with one day and a-half still in hand.

Mr. Evans is chilled to the bone and has to be massaged. At intervals he blows a whistle vigorously to liven himself up.

The " wheelbarrow Derby " was the result of a wager of £2O a side between Mr. Parkinson (a garage proprietor) arid Mr. Evans (a publican who weighs 15 stone) that the former would push Mr. Evans in a barrow to the Mount Buffalo chalet from their home town, Beechworth, Victoria, a distance of 51 i miles, in eight days. The conditions of the wager required that Mr. Evans might alight from the wheelbarrow when Mr. Parkinson had rested 15 minutes. But the latter proposed to take rests of only 14 minutes, so that the passenger might never set out until be was " cramped out." Mr. Parkinson therefore hoped that it would not he necessary for him to stay the course. The wheeler is 45 years of age and 6ft 3in. in height and weighs 14 stone. Prior to commencing his task he wheeled two cubic yards of quartz weighing llcwt. about his yard. "I do not do hard work," he explained. " I am only a garage proprietor." " 1 expect that most of the time will be occupied in pushing Mr. Evans up the mountain over the last third of the distance," said Mr. Parkinson. " When we were riding over the route last month I scoffed at him when he said he would not like to walk up that grade. I said 1 could wheel him up it. Then the bet was made." According to a cablegram from Melbourne published in yesterday's Hkralh Mr. Parkinson had covered all but three miles of his journey. That appears now to have been an error.