Sport

Trotting stalwart honoured

By Gus Underwood

Dec 16, 2025

Les Croxford, 95, has been awarded a life membership of the Kyabram Trotting Club. Photo by Contributed

Veteran Kyabram trots fan Les Croxford was around when the Kyabram Trotting Club was first formed officially in 1969.

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In fact he was an inaugural committeeman and over the past 56 years he has served stints on the committee at various times.

Now the grand old age of 95, he was well qualified to receive a life membership of the club and it happened at the club’s recent Christmas party.

He was presented with a life membership of the club by its president Ken Covington who said the honour was well overdue and even more well deserved.

Croxford remembers when he first came to Kyabram to live more than 60 years ago, harness trotting horses were trained on the former gallops track where the Parkland Golf Club is situated today.

“The Caldwells, Vic and his son Arthur, and Tim Hooper were training their horses there at that time, ‘’ Croxford said.

‘‘(The late) Bill Shellie was behind getting the new track started where it is today and it was later enlarged with the railing coming from the old Mooroopna track and carted to Kyabram by Boydie Sutherland.’’

Croxford said Kyabram had always been a strong trials club with strong administrators headed by Ian Purdey and was currently rebuilding that reputation with other district trialling tracks no longer holding trials.

‘‘The trotting club has been great for the town and a real survivor,’’ he said.