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- 13 November 2003
Tribute to Cliff Young
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The Hon. CHARLIE LYNN [5.55 p.m.]: Last night my Nationals colleague the Hon. Rick Colless paid tribute to the Australian legend RM Williams. One of RM Williams's greatest legacies is his famous riding boots. Tonight I wish to pay tribute to another Australian legend, Cliff Young, who made the gumboot just as famous as a pair of RMs. Cliff came to prominence in 1983 when he unexpectedly shuffled his way down the highway from Sydney to Melbourne to win the world's longest and toughest ultra-marathon. At the time he was a 61-year-old potato farmer from Beech Forest. He finished the 875-kilometre race in 5 days, 15 hours and 4 minutes. At the time I was serving in the Army at Holsworthy and I watched the start of the race on television.
I was amazed that this group of runners was going to run from Sydney to Melbourne. I was even more amazed to hear the introductions. I had heard of the New Zealand runner Siggy Bauer, Tony Rafferty from Victoria, and Joe Record from Western Australia. Then the camera focused on a 61-year-old potato farmer, who did not have any teeth because they rattled when he ran, who trained in his gumboots, and who wore a hanky with knots on the corners on his head. His trainer was his 81-year-old mother. Neville Wran, who was present with John Saunders, was the starter of the race, and he said to John Saunders, "That old bloke will not even make it to Westfield Liverpool"—the race commenced at Parramatta—and we all thought the same. When we woke the next morning we heard that Cliff had jogged all night down to Mittagong. His tactic to win the race was to keep a distance of 20 miles in front of the other runners.
The Hon. Duncan Gay: Didn't he accidentally get woken up early the first morning?
The Hon. CHARLIE LYNN: He believed he was 20 miles in front of the other runners, so he stopped to get some ice from a Shell service station. He was about to have a sleep when Joe Record knocked on his car door and asked whether he had any ice. Cliff said he did not have any ice but there was some available at the service station back up the road. When Joe went off to the service station, Cliff put his boots on and said, "If he's that close we'd better get going." The rest of the runners did not see him again until they got to Melbourne.
When he got to Albury he was asked about his tactics for the rest of the race. He said he would run through to the finish, and he did. Cliff was awarded the first prize of $10,000. He did not know there was a prize and he had not entered for the money. He said, "There're five other runners still out there doing it tougher than me," and he gave them $2,000 each. He did not keep a single cent for himself. That act endeared him to all of Australia. Cliff was a humble, ordinary man, who undertook an extraordinary feat and became a national hero. Not long after the race he met and married Mary. John Saunders arranged a reception for them at the Boulevard, and Cliff and Mary were provided with accommodation at the Shore Inn on the North Shore. Cliff was decked out in a tuxedo and new shoes. They were put in a chauffeur-driven car and taken to the Boulevard.
Cliff met with all the people at the reception and had some hors d'oeuvres. Then he said to Mary, "I've met everybody and I've eaten. Let's go home." She told him that the doors to the main reception area were about to be opened and they would have their main meal. He said, "I've eaten. You can stay, but I'll go." He ran from the Boulevard to the Shore Inn in his tuxedo and went to bed. When they opened the doors John Saunders asked Mary where the guest of honour was. Mary said, "He's had his feed and gone home." It was typical of Cliffie. He was not there for the pomp and ceremony. What you saw was what you got: a wonderful man.
People wanted to know the secret of this 61-year-old man, and they discovered that he was a vegetarian. All the vegetarians said, "We said that meat was no good for you. Look at Cliff." When they asked Cliff why he was a vegetarian he said, "About five years ago me and my mum went over to my sister's place for dinner and she served up stew. If you ever had my sister's stew you would be a vegetarian too." He had no scientific reason for becoming a vegetarian.
The following year the race was run from Melbourne to Sydney and Cliffie came seventh. He ran with shin splints, his hip popped out of the joint socket, and his knee played up, but he struggled through. The media and race officials were to award a car for the most courageous runner. Cliffie won the award because of the injuries he had to overcome. When Cliffie was announced as the winner and presented with a Mitsubishi Colt, he said, "I didn't do it near as tough as old Bob McIlwaine. Here, Bob, you have the car," and threw the keys to him.
Cliffie never kept a single prize. People gave him watches, because he never wore one. He would thank them because he did not want to hurt their feelings, and then give the watch away to the first child he saw. He did not understand why he would need a watch because, he said, he knew when it was daylight, when it was dark, and when he was hungry. In the running fraternity Cliffie became known as Gandhi in gumboots. He was a wonderful man, who never said anything bad about anyone. He inspired a lot of people and gave us a great deal of joy. Australia is a better place for Cliff Young's presence on this earth.
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