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A message to all of our friends and supporters

It has been nine, long and arduous months of campaigning to retain the historic Maurice Kirby Velodrome from destruction at hands of the City of Greater Dandenong. Never before has our community rose to an injustice fraught with the knowledge the community will never be listened to but, despite this injustice we all took up the challenge against the City of Greater Dandenong and fought until the very end.

In the process we were fortunate enough to rediscover and retell the humble story of a Noble Park and Melbourne identity, that was Maurice Kirby and his passion for not only cycling and sports but also his ability to bring issues to the forefront of public discussion.


A heartfelt thank you to Noble Park locals who took this photograph then sent it to us, eg: they can remove a velodrome but they will never remove our dreams ❤️❤️❤️

As this campaign draws to a close, we thank each and every one of you for persisting against the bias that was glaringly obvious to anyone that took notice. All those long emails and phone calls to council and our elected representatives, your attendance at council meetings were not for nothing.

Out of this we have reformed the old Noble Park Dandenong Cycling Club Inc. and we will continue to carry on Maurice Kirby’s legacy.

Join the club: https://nobleparkdandenong.cc/membership/

We thank each and every one of you again for fighting so incredibly hard to save the Maurice Kirby velodrome. The Noble Park community has spoken and the fight for justice will have no expiration date!

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Sarah Gigante: Velodromes are really great places for kids to learn to ride a bike in a safe environment

Also I remember when I was little and it was my first time on a velodrome and even though I was only probably going 20km per hour, I felt like a little Olympian, we all did, following in the footsteps of the other cyclists

Champion cyclist Sarah Gigante after riding the Maurice Kirby Velodrome.

Sarah, aged 18, recently became one of the ever youngest winners at the 2019 Australian National Road Race Championships.

  • Sign the Change.org petition: Save Noble Park Velodrome before it’s too late!
  • Chuffed.org crowdfunding: Help Us Rebuild Noble Park Dandenong Cycling Club

    • Sarah Gigante talks about her
    racing journey

    I’ve been racing my bike since I was 8 years old and along the way, I’ve met so many great people, learnt how to really push myself and also kept very fit. These are just some of the benefits of the wonderful sport of cycling. I’ve also won many junior national titles and represented Australia at the Junior Track and Road World Championships in Switzerland and Austria. Earlier this year, I was crowned the Elite Women’s Road Race National Champion.

    My racing journey all began at an outdoor velodrome, just like the Noble Park velodrome. In my case, it was the Brunswick Cycling Club’s home track. It’s a bit bumpy in places and the back straight is downhill, but we all love it and it’s used every day.

    The most important part of Brunswick is that they run a Junior Clinic on the track for kids aged between three and sixteen, and I can definitely see the new Noble Park Cycling Club starting up something similar in the future with the many children and novices who visit the velodrome.

    Sarah Gigante: My racing journey all began at an outdoor velodrome, just like the Noble Park velodrome.

    As it is, simply having the velodrome there is a very encouraging and safe option for all bike riders, no matter their age or experience. The roads around the area are quite busy and filled with fast-moving traffic, so for serious cyclists, the velodrome offers a place to train and go as fast as they want while knowing that they will arrive home safely. For families, the velodrome is also a great location to ride a bike.

    Bike paths are fantastic and definitely serve their purpose, but when you have kids of different speeds, the velodrome allows everyone to go their own pace while still staying near each other and staying safe. This is also helpful for non-cycling parents, who want to let their children grow up with the freedom of riding a bike, but would prefer to just watch from the sidelines.

    While also keeping cyclists fit, happy and off the couch, the velodrome offers another benefit for aspiring riders. The track cycling at the Olympic Games is one of the most memorable and inspiring events, with the steep velodromes and incredibly powerful athletes.

    By having a local velodrome, the community’s kids are able to start to follow in the path of these cyclists and they may see a starting point for their own cycling and racing journey.

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      Who was Maurice Kirby?

      Kirby2

      So who was Maurice (Maurie) Kirby? Read the Kirby’s family account below of the larger than life sporting legend and local resident of Noble Park.

      “Angus Burrows came from Neerim South sometime before 1915 and established the bakehouse, along with two shops and residences in Leonard Avenue, Noble Park.

      Mr. Burrows’ wife died and he remarried. His daughter, through a broken marriage could not support her young son, Maurice, and fostering was considered. The solution was for the grandparents to adopt him.

      Continue reading “Who was Maurice Kirby?”