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57-677: The oldest professional carnival in Victoria is the Maryborough Gift which celebrated its 155th anniversary on New years Day 2016. Australia's best known footrace is the Stawell Gift , held at Easter since 1878. The other major carnival that has been run continuously for more than 100 years is the Burnie Gift in Tasmania. It was first run in 1885. The status as the richest carnival was challenged for

114-526: A break from running due to injury. She returned from injury in form with a first-place finish in the 400 m at the 1999 World Championships . She announced her retirement from athletics in 2003. In 2007, she founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation, which changed names twice (to Community Spirit Foundation and later to Murrup ). She is of the Kuku-yalanji and Birri-gubba peoples. Cathy Freeman

171-495: A journey from Broome to Arnhem Land spending time with Indigenous communities along the way. In 2008, Freeman participated in Who Do You Think You Are? and discovered that her mother was of Chinese and English heritage as well as Aboriginal. As a result of a 1917 Queensland policy that Aboriginal people could serve in the military if they had a European parent, her paternal great-grandfather, Frank Fisher served in

228-555: A medal favourite at the 1995 World Championships in Athletics in Sweden, Freeman finished fourth. She also reached the semi-finals of the 200 m. Freeman made more progress during the 1996 season, setting many personal bests and Australian records. By this stage, she was the biggest challenger to France 's Marie-José Pérec at the 1996 Olympics . She eventually took the silver medal behind Pérec, in an Australian record of 48.63 seconds. This

285-639: A scholarship to an exclusive girls' school, Fairholme College in Toowoomba . In a competition in 1989, Freeman ran 11.67 s in the 100 metres and Danila began to think about entering her in the Commonwealth Games Trials in Sydney. In 1990, Freeman was chosen as a member of Australia's 4 × 100 m relay team for the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland , New Zealand. The team won the gold medal, making Freeman

342-692: A time in NSW with the running of the Botany Bay Gift Carnival which, in the 1990s. boasts total prize money of $ 120,000 and $ 70,000 for its main race with a $ 50,000 first prize. The excellent event, however, faded from the scene when sponsorship became difficult to maintain. The Stawell Carnival has a total prize money pool of $ 90,000. The main race, the Stawell Gift, is over 120m and the winner receives $ 40, 000. There are many other carnivals and events conducted under handicap foot-running conditions throughout

399-593: Is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. It is the main event in an annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, Stawell in the Grampian Mountains district of western Victoria . As of 2016 the carnival encompasses events for both men and women of all ages and abilities, across distances from 70 to 3,200 metres (230 to 10,500 feet). The final of

456-629: Is allowed in the venue, and there is an extensive bookmaker 's compound. While the Stawell Gift is the feature race, the meeting also includes many other races, with more than sixty events taking place over the three-day meeting. The Women's Gift has run since 1989. In 2015, the Women's Gift had equal prizemoney with the men's for the first time. The list of winners of the Stawell Gift: Notes: # Converted to metric distances in 1973. * Commenced electronic timing in 1982. The inaugural winner

513-535: Is an Aboriginal Australian former sprinter , who specialised in the 400 metres event. Her personal best of 48.63 seconds currently ranks her as the ninth-fastest woman of all time , set while finishing second to Marie-José Pérec 's number-four time at the 1996 Olympics . She became the Olympic champion for the women's 400 metres at the 2000 Summer Olympics , at which she had lit the Olympic Flame . Freeman

570-490: Is occasionally increased to 11. Each metre in handicap denotes approximately a tenth of a second in time. Race winners are often those that are able to "beat the handicapper", in that they need to perform well enough to qualify for the event and the finals, but below what they are truly capable of, so that they receive a handicap that gives them the best chance of a victory. The handicapping system often ends up pitting local runners against international professionals. Gambling

627-563: The 1990 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Plovdiv , Bulgaria. There, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 m and placed fifth in the final of the 400 m. Freeman competed in her second World Junior Championships in Seoul , South Korea. She competed only in the 200 m, winning the silver medal behind China's Hu Ling. Also in 1992, she travelled to her first Olympic Games in Barcelona , reaching

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684-556: The Baháʼí Faith . She was raised a Baháʼí, and says of her faith, "I'm not a devout Baha'i but I like the prayers and I appreciate their values about the equality of all human kind." Freeman had a long-term romantic relationship with Nick Bideau, her manager, that ended in acrimony and legal wranglings over Freeman's endorsement earnings. Freeman married Alexander "Sandy" Bodecker, a Nike executive 20 years her senior, in 1999. After her success in Sydney she took an extended break from

741-654: The Bellarine Peninsula on 11 April 2009. Freeman gave birth to her first child in 2011. In August 2024 Freeman and Murch announced their separation. Freeman is a supporter of National Rugby League team the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks and Australian Football League team the Carlton Blues . Freeman was also a part of the "Group of 14" who backed the return of the South Sydney Rabbitohs to

798-639: The next Olympics , in Salt Lake City , joining Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Africa), John Glenn (The Americas), Kazuyoshi Funaki (Asia), Lech Wałęsa (Europe), Jean-Michel Cousteau (Environment), Jean-Claude Killy (Sport), and Steven Spielberg (Culture). Throughout her career, Freeman regularly competed in the Victorian Athletic League where she won two 400 m races at the Stawell Gift Carnival. Freeman did not compete during

855-426: The 100-year-old Stawell Grandstand, and the athletes run in lanes that are separated by lane ropes rather than painted lines. The idea of the handicap system is that all runners should, theoretically, cross the line at the same time. The handicapper works out what mark or handicap the runner will have according to their previous performances in sprint events. Currently the maximum handicap is 10 metres, although this

912-482: The 200 m and 400 m. She also competed as a member of Australia's 4 × 100 m squad, winning the silver medal and as a member of the 4 × 400 m team, who finished first but were later disqualified after Freeman obstructed the Nigerian runner. During the 1994 season, Freeman took 1.3 seconds from her 400 m personal best, achieving 50.04 seconds. She also set all-time personal bests in the 100 m (11.24) and 200 m (22.25). Although

969-500: The 2001 season. In 2002 she returned to the track to compete as a member of Australia's victorious 4 × 400 m relay team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games . Freeman announced her retirement in 2003. Since retiring from athletics Freeman has become involved in a range of community and charitable activities. She was an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF) until 2012. Freeman

1026-415: The 2020 race was cancelled, the first time since World War 2. Powercor Australia are the naming rights sponsor for five years, starting in 2021. The 2021 Gift, branded as the "Powercor Stawell Gift" and the 139th event, ran on its usual Easter long weekend dates of 3–5 April. It was won by Edward Ware of Victoria, and the women's event was won by Hayley Orman from South Australia. On Easter Saturday

1083-806: The AIEF and the Brotherhood of St Laurence . Freeman was born in 1973 at Slade Point, Mackay , Queensland , to Norman Freeman and Cecelia Barber. Norman was born in Woorabinda of the Birri Gubba people; Cecelia was born on Palm Island in Queensland, and is of Kuku Yalanji heritage. Moreover, Freeman also has Syrian ancestry. Freeman and her brothers Gavin, Garth, and Norman were raised in Mackay and in other parts of Queensland. She also had an older sister, Anne-Marie, who

1140-568: The Games after what she described as harassment from strangers. Freeman won the Olympic title in a time of 49.11 seconds, becoming only the second Australian Aboriginal Olympic champion (the first was Freeman's 4 × 400 teammate Nova Peris-Kneebone who won for field hockey four years earlier in Atlanta). After the race, Freeman took a victory lap, carrying both the Aboriginal and Australian flags . This

1197-498: The Gift had financial difficulties. The offer was withdrawn later in July. The Victorian state government "ruled out" providing monetary assistance. In 2010 the Gift track was found to be around 3 metres too long, with times much slower than expected during the heats. In 2019 the Gift was having trouble attracting sponsors. This resulted in a reduction in prizemoney. In 2018 the prize pool for

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1254-408: The Gift's heats, he came third (off 11 yards) in the consolation race, the 120-yard Jubilee Handicap . Millard married twice, had 22 children, and died in 1939. His great-grandson, Daniel Millard, won the Stawell Gift in 1997. Only two people have ever won the men's race running from scratch (0 m handicap): Three sprinters have won the race more than once: Four Australian Olympians have won

1311-1043: The Melbourne CBD, 400 metres series' during international cricket matches at the MCG and sprint events during horse races at Moonee Valley. In 2001, the Victorian Athletic League moved offices to be co-located with Athletics Victoria at Olympic Park in Melbourne. The League began to form a strong alliance with Athletics Victoria through formal affiliation, sharing resources and establishing a dual-registration process. (Include VAL, SAAL, QAL, NSWAL, TAL) - Cathy Freeman - Linford Christie - Robert De Castella - Josh Ross - Jana Rawlinson - Tamsyn Lewis - Nova Peris-Kneebone - Melinda Gainsford-Taylor - Madeleine Pape (Australian Olympian) - Bola Lawal (Nigerian Olympian) - George McNeill (Scotland) - J.L. Ravelomanantsoa (Madagascar) - Rick Dunbar Held on

1368-606: The NRL following their exclusion in 2000 and 2001. On 10 October 2023, Freeman was one of 25 Australians of the Year who signed an open letter supporting the Yes vote in the Indigenous Voice referendum , initiated by psychiatrist Patrick McGorry . She joined with actress Deborah Mailman on a road trip , a four-part television documentary series Going Bush (2006) where the pair set off on

1425-567: The Second World War, and in 2020 due to the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic . Originally it was the townspeople putting together an entertainment package to happen over Easter, complete with 'special trains' to the event. Today it is the most prestigious footrace in Australia, with a $ 40,000AUD first prize. The finals are televised live around Australia, and internationally. The event was historically run over 130 yards (118.9 m). In 1973

1482-475: The St Kilda club staged the richest footrace in the world with a first prize of $ 2,000. In 1977, the Victorian Athletic League undertook substantial administrative changes becoming an incorporated company, establishing a computerised record of handicaps and results, and commissioning the use of an electronic race finish recording machine. After years of segregation between amateur and professional athletics, in 1986 saw

1539-753: The Stawell Athletic Club, the Victorian Athletic League and the Victorian Athletic Association were merged. ES Herring of Maryborough was elected president and Joe Bull appointed as secretary. The Victorian Athletic League established an office in Brunswick and held mid week sports meetings were held at White City in Tottenham, at the Exhibition Grounds and at the Monodrome. During the 1920s and 1930s, popularity of professional running grew tremendously and

1596-648: The Stawell Gift: The following Gift winners also played senior VFL football: On a number of occasions there has been discussions about relocating the Stawell Gift for economic reasons. On 14 February 2001, after much discussion about moving the event to Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Premier Steve Bracks announced on ABC Local Radio that the Gift would be staying in Stawell and the State Government 's $ 40,000 contribution would continue. On 14 July 2009, it

1653-548: The VAL staged World Sprint Championships. At the outbreak of World War II, many Victorian Athletic League clubs abandoned their meetings. However, the federal cabinet granted permission for the Victorian Athletic League to conduct footrunning at Maribyrnong for the benefit of athletes on leave from the armed forces and men employed in essential services. After World War II the Victorian Athletic League gained strength and had nearly fifteen hundred registered runners, three hundred trainers and

1710-406: The Victorian Athletic League began to promote the sport of professional running. Carnivals were held in Melbourne and major Victorian towns and became extremely popular with the sporting public. 1917, a dispute over prize money led to a breakaway group, the Victorian Athletic Association, being formed and conducting event in opposition to the Victorian Athletic League. In 1921, through the mediation of

1767-455: The class of runners that can potentially win the event is limited compared to other Gifts in Australia. The winner is, hypothetically, the runner who can best "rise to the occasion" and perform better than their previous form, although the key can often be to perform slightly below their best in lead-up events and thus receive a favourable handicap. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

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1824-573: The dawning of open athletics when Stawell Gift winners Chris Perry and John Dinan competed for Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. In recent years, the Victorian Athletic League has extended its athletic format beyond club carnivals. The League moved into conducting special events such as the famous Dandy Dollar Dash at VFL/AFL football matches, the Moomba Mile run down Bourke Street in

1881-471: The first-ever Aboriginal Commonwealth Games gold medallist, as well as one of the youngest, at 16 years old. She moved to Melbourne in 1990 after the Auckland Commonwealth Games. Shortly after moving to Melbourne, her manager Nic Bideau introduced Freeman to athletics coach Peter Fortune, who would become Freeman's coach for the rest of her career. She was then selected to represent Australia at

1938-412: The heats are conducted, with the winner of each heat going through to the semi-finals along with the next best fastest times. On Easter Monday, the six semi-finals are run approximately two hours before the final, with only semi-final winners advancing to the final. Six semi-finals were first run in 1988, before which there were only five semi-finals. The Gift is run on a 120 m grass track in front of

1995-400: The iconic main race is run on grass over 120 m (390 ft) up a slight gradient. Competitors are handicapped according to their form, with each competitor "marked" by between 0 and 10 m (0 and 33 ft) or more to theoretically reach the finish line at the same time. This process is administered by the Victorian Athletic League (VAL). Due to the relatively short handicap limit,

2052-482: The local publican or mine owner. The miners raced over various distances but the main race was run over the Sheffield distance of 130 yards. In the 1860s big money began to creep into the sport which attracted a wealth of athletic talent. Competitions took on a carnival atmosphere and crowds flocked to see local champions. In April 1878, nearly two thousand people witnessed the running of the first Stawell Easter Gift which

2109-405: The men's and women's Gift was A$ 40,000 each race, which was reduced by A$ 15,000 in 2019. The Northern Grampians Shire Council offered assistance. It has been estimated that the Gift contributes A$ 5 million to the local economy. In 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic the race was initially postponed. The Stawell Athletic Club was considering "… options to run the event later in the year". In May

2166-504: The most difficult ever undertaken by the Committee of the Stawell Athletic Club". He said the club would investigate and exhaust all other options to ensure the survival of Australia's most famous footrace. On 16 September 2009 Victorian Premier John Brumby announced more than $ 300,000 State Government funding to keep the Stawell Gift in Stawell. Cathy Freeman Catherine Astrid Salome Freeman OAM (born 16 February 1973)

2223-843: The nation each year. Apart from Stawell and Burnie, some of the more famous long-running carnivals are the Bay Sheffield Carnival in South Australia, Bendigo and Ballarat in Victoria, the Christmas Carnivals in North Western Tasmania, and an annual Gift on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Temora and Macksville Carnivals in New South Wales. Since the late 1980s athletics and the Olympic Games have been 'open', meaning that

2280-478: The race converted to the metric system , and the distance was altered to 120 metres (131.2 yd), essentially an identical distance. Electronic timing was introduced in 1982 thus allowing higher precision in race results. In July 2009 the city of Ballarat made a bid to "poach" the Gift. They offered the Stawell Athletic Club A$ 1.25 million to host the race from 2010, for five years. At this time

2337-554: The race was postponed, but in March the race was cancelled, the first time since World War 2. In 2021, branded as the "Powercor Stawell Gift", the race was run at its usual Easter long weekend dates on 3–5 April. The Stawell Gift began in 1878 at the end of the gold rush , as the "Easter Gift" of £24 (several thousands in today's dollars) conducted by the Stawell Athletic Club in a program of seven races, most run in multiple heats. It has been raced every year since, except for four years during

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2394-743: The second Saturday of January every year, the Rye Gift attracts tourists celebrating the Christmas period and New Year. It has bookies and the track for the 120m is on a slight decline. Past Winners 2000-2020 (Men's) 2000 R Devalle 2001 M Moresi 2002 C Touhy 2003 C Foley 2004 C Dunbar 2005 G Brown 2006 D Burgess 2007 M Callard 2008 P O'Dwyer 2009 R Medford 2010 Douglas Greenough 2011 Craig Rollinson 2012 Cam Dunbar 2013 Bros Kelly 2014 Matt Carter 2015 Paul Tancredi 2016 Noddy Angelakos 2017 Nathan Riali 2018 Maddie Coates 2019 Aaron Leferink Stawell Gift The Stawell Gift

2451-601: The second round of her new specialty event, the 400 metres , and finishing 7th as part of the Australian team in the women's 4 × 400 m relay finals. At the 1993 World Championships in Athletics Freeman competed in the 200 m, reaching the semi-finals. 1994 was Freeman's breakthrough season, when she entered into the world's elite for the first time. Competing at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada, Freeman won gold in both

2508-401: The so-called amateurs and professionals can all compete together for prize money without being penalised or discriminated against. The Victorian Athletic League was established in 1895. Professional running in Australia began in the gold-mining days and boomed in areas where miners were prospecting and digging for gold. The miners raced against each other for the gift of a gold nugget offered by

2565-500: The track in 1999, Freeman did not lose a single 400 m race, including at the World Championships . Freeman also lit the torch in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. She continued to win into the 2000 season, despite Pérec's return to the track. Freeman was the home favourite for the 400 m title at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where she was expected to face-off with rival Pérec. This showdown never happened, as Pérec left

2622-480: The track to nurse Bodecker through a bout of throat cancer from May to October 2002. She announced their separation in February 2003. Later that year, Freeman began dating Australian actor Joel Edgerton whom she had initially met at the 2002 TV Week Logies . Their relationship ended in early 2005. In October 2006, Freeman announced her engagement to Melbourne stockbroker James Murch. They married at Spray Farm on

2679-425: Was William J. "Bill" Millard (1855–1939), a farmer from Condah, Victoria , who reputedly trained by chasing kangaroos . Millard, running off 3 yards, won the race when the leading runner, W.J. Lambell, of Birregurra , running off 11 yards, fell two yards before the finish of the race. In 1889, aged 34, he won the 220 yards handicap at Stawell, running off 18 yards; and, at the same meeting, having been run out in

2736-459: Was announced that Ballarat had offered the Stawell Athletic Club more than $ 1 million in cash and incentives, including a $ 20,000 grant to the Stawell Gift Hall of Fame, to relocate the Gift from Central Park in Stawell to Ballarat City Oval for five years. The Club released a statement through Secretary Ian Lawrie stating they were considering the offer but the "decision is, without question,

2793-632: Was appointed as an Ambassador for Cottage by the Sea (a children's holiday camp in Queenscliffe, Victoria), alongside celebrity chef Curtis Stone and big-wave surfer Jeff Rowley . Freeman retired from her position as Patron after 10 years in 2014. In 2007 Freeman founded the Cathy Freeman Foundation. The Foundation works with four remote Indigenous communities to close the gap in education between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian children, by offering incentives for children to attend school. It partners with

2850-634: Was born in 1966 and died in 1990. Anne-Marie had cerebral palsy and spent much of her life in the Birribi care facility in Rockhampton . Freeman attended several schools, including schools in Mackay and Coppabella, but was mostly educated at Fairholme College in Toowoomba where she attended after winning a scholarship to board there. Freeman's parents divorced in 1978, after which her father returned to Woorabinda. Freeman has described how she has been influenced by early experiences with racism and also by

2907-460: Was conducted sports carnivals at seventy centres across Victoria from mid November to early June. By the early 1960s, interest in professional running had waned. The number of registered runners had declined and only twenty-eight carnivals were held across Victoria. In an effort to revive the sport, the Victorian Athletic League invited champion international athletes such as Bob Hayes, Alan Simpson and Robbie Hutchison to compete in Australia. In 1969,

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2964-533: Was despite unofficial flags being banned at the Olympic Games, and the Aboriginal flag, while recognised as official in Australia, not being a national flag or recognised by the International Olympic Committee . Freeman also reached the final of the 200 m, coming sixth. In honour of her gold medal win in Sydney, she represented Oceania in carrying the Olympic flag at the opening ceremonies of

3021-449: Was formed on 15 April 1895 when RV Lewis of Benalla was elected president and Hastings Bell of Stawell was appointed secretary. Originally the League was administered from Stawell and formulated rules and regulations for country towns that conducted sports carnivals. It also acted as arbitrator in any disputes arising at those carnivals. In 1902 a regular office was established in Melbourne and

3078-407: Was successful in school athletics events. After 1987, she was coached by her stepfather, Bruce Barber, to various regional and national titles. In 1987, Freeman moved to Kooralbyn International School to be coached professionally by Romanian Mike Danila, who later became a key influence throughout her career; he provided a strict training regime for the young athlete. In 1988, she was awarded

3135-405: Was the first Indigenous Australian person to become a Commonwealth Games gold medalist at age 16 in 1990. The year 1994 was her breakthrough season. At the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Canada, Freeman won gold in both the 200 m and 400 m. She also won the silver medal at the 1996 Olympics and came first at the 1997 World Championships in the 400 m event. In 1998, Freeman took

3192-555: Was the fourth-fastest since the world record was set in Canberra , Australia, in 1985. Pérec's winning time of 48.25 was an Olympic record . In 1997, Freeman won the 400 m at the World Championships in Athens, with a time of 49.77 seconds. Her only loss in the 400 m that season was in Oslo where she injured her foot. Freeman took a break for the 1998 season, due to injury. Upon her return to

3249-484: Was won by 24-year-old farmer W.J.Millard. The sport of professional running continued to grow. Big prize money and heavy betting attracted talented athletes as well as a range of shady characters. By the early 1890s, the sport of professional running was in crisis. Athletes running under false names, hiding past performance, corrupt officials and other controversies led the need to establish a controlling body for professional running in Victoria. The Victorian Athletic League

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