1947 Bay Sheffield winner Riley Wing to be inducted into Hall of Fame

IT was 70 years ago that Riley Wing won South Australia’s richest foot race. But he vividly recalls rivals asking him to throw the race.

Riley Wing after being presented a new sash and trophy for the 1947 Bay Sheffield. Pictured with family.

IT may have happened 70 years ago, but Riley Wing can still remember a rival running coach asking him to throw the Bay Sheffield final – then winning the famous SA footrace after rejecting the proposal.

Wing, a Chinese-Australian from Darwin, was little known in athletics circles when he entered the 1947 men’s Gift at Colley Reserve, only to catch the eye with victories in his heat and semi-final.

This prompted the pre-race favourite’s stable to try to stop Wing’s success there, so they could guarantee winning money they had already placed with bookmakers on their athlete.

They made three offers – the last of which was for Wing to receive the 125 pounds of prize money and the sash for first place, plus a slice of winnings from the bookies, if he threw the 120m sprint final.

“There used to be a wooden slippery dip (at Colley Reserve) and I was under that, on my back and resting between the semis and the final,” Wing, now 91, tells The Advertiser from his home in Darwin.

“They came up to me and asked if I’d seen his (the favourite’s) run?

“I said ‘did you see my run? If you thought he trotted it in, I actually walked in’.

“I said ‘you can give me the trophy, the sash and give me the prize money, but can you put my name in the record books?’

“They said ‘no’. I told them they could stick their sash up their arse.”

Riley Wing with Ernie Holder after his Bay Sheff win in 1947. Picture: Supplied

Wing, who ran off 8.5 yards, ultimately prevailed in the final in 12.3 secs. Seven decades on, the story has become etched in race folklore – and Wing’s contribution to the meet was recognised this month with his induction into the Bay Sheffield’s Hall of Fame.

It is the latest accolade in his remarkable life – which has included surviving the 1942 Darwin bombing in World War II, losing his possessions, including that winning Bay Sheffield sash, in the destruction of Cyclone Tracy in 1974, being awarded an MBE for community work with organisations such as the Northern Territory Football League and NT Netball, where he holds life memberships, and meeting former US president Barack Obama in 2011.

And he holds his Hall of Fame induction dear.

“This has come out of the blue and I never, ever expected to get anything like that,” says Wing, who is believed to be the second-oldest living winner in the history of the men’s Bay Sheffield Gift.

“I value it as much as I value the MBE. I’m very, very honoured.”

Wing caught the attention of legendary athletics trainer Ernie Holder while playing football for Victor Harbor.

Holder was umpiring a game and, impressed by his running ability, asked Wing to compete in the halftime sprint – in bare feet. Wing triumphed and Holder convinced him to run at Colley Reserve, where he became the coach’s first of five Bay Sheffield winners.

Holder typically trained his athletes twice a day, six days a week, banned them from riding bicycles in season and urged them to get to bed early.

“He was a hard taskmaster, but he taught you how to run, use your knees and get up out of the blocks,” Wing says.

“Even today, my calf muscles are soft as soft. We were the very, very best of friends and I credit all my wins to Ernie Holder.”

Wing’s story is one of perseverance and it has long fascinated renowned broadcaster Bruce McAvaney. McAvaney’s father, Roy, worked with Wing in the taxation office in Adelaide during the 1960s and ‘70s, and they became close friends.

Wing moved back to Darwin not long after his win at the Bay but has maintained a relationship with the Channel 7 commentator, who still calls him “Mr Wing”, and McAvaney’s wife, Annie, who has been helping write his memoirs.

They catch up when Wing is in Adelaide and chat a few times a year.

“We spent a lot of time at his place, him at our place and he was one of my father’s very closest friends,” McAvaney tells The Advertiser.

“He also tried to teach me how to run as a kid … because one of my big weaknesses playing football was I had no pace.

“That was a big part of Mr Wing – that he won the Bay Sheffield, not because he was a bragger but because my father and mother were really into sport.

“It’s an iconic event and if you win a Bay Sheffield it’s like winning a gold medal in South Australia in a way.

“I was always incredibly interested and impressed, and used to ask him a lot of questions.”

Wing remains passionate about SA’s richest footrace and keeping it at Glenelg, where the 131st Bay Sheffield Carnival is being held this week.

Several years back, Wing badgered McAvaney to set up a coffee meeting with then Holdfast Bay mayor Ken Rollond to discuss getting Colley Reserve heritage-listed.

“Mr Wing wants to leave a legacy and he’s a very proud man,” McAvaney says.

“From where he came from, his upbringing and the harshness of his early life, and the fact he was able to become a champion athlete then importantly, have a very successful career, he’s an inspiring person.

“One of his mantras is you get nothing unless you work hard.

“He’s certainly had an influence on my life so I’m very proud of him, and am thrilled he’s got this (Hall of Fame) honour.”