"WHEELBARROW DERBY"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22167, 22 July 1935, Page 10

"WHEELBARROW DERBY"

ELDERLY MAN'S FEAT Jk COLLEGE HILL EVENT Auckland had its first " wheelbarrow derby " on Saturday, when Mr. Albert Scanlan, aged 57, made light of the task of pushing a lJ)~stone colleague in a wheelbarrow from the gate of the Gas Works up College Hill to the Suffolk Hotel. Thn passenger wan Mr, Ernest Ruby, a former League representative footballer., bat, apparently regarding him as hordlv worthy of hi's mettle, Mr, .Scanlan, halfway up the hill, added a little hoy to the load. The feat Was the result of a wager, by which the time for the journey was limited to one hour and the reward was to bo a sum of money. Although the event was intended to hnve only local interest, it was witnessed by ail enthusiastic crowd of several hundred people Sharp to time Mi'. Scanian emerged from the works, trundling a standard iron barrow. With all due ceremony the axlo was liberally greased and the barrow brought up to the starting line. Some anxiety was caused by the nonappearance of the passenger, but he, too, soon arrived, and after a few financial preliminaries, took his seat on a pack in the barrow. The party set off at a great paeß along the level toward the foot of College Hill. Then came the real task, and Mr. Scanlan settled down to a steady plod up the hill, encouraged by the good humour of the crowd, which by this time had grown to considerable proportions. Air. Scanlan was going in great style when Fie reached the finish* ing post, amid the cheers of an admiring crowd, Actually the affair was more of a sprint thfio a marathon, and tjtie total time by the stop watches was just over 16 minutes, with 8m 46s as tie net wheeling time, seven stops paving been mads.