Spring is a time when seasons change, the air is warmer, roofs come off Sprites and the Sprite Club member thinks of…………………………Bordertown!

Other that the last SA town on the road to Melbourne, birthplace of Bob Hawke, and a chance for a “pitstop” after about 3 hours drive from Adelaide, many people do not know that this town and it’s surrounds have formed many long-standing friendships and relationship between the SA and Victorian Sprite Clubs.

In 1973 after the members of the SA Sprite Club invited the Victorian Sprite club to Bordertown for a camping weekend and motorkhana. Why Bordertown, it was almost halfway between the two Capital Cities and Founder Member Mandy Stokes parents Ralph and Ruth Dodd had a property there named Lowan Park. It had shearing shed, that with a good sweep would become sleeping accommodation for many people!

The Motorkhana was held on the property, it was sandy, boggy, but they all had fun. After the motorkhana it was back to the shearing shed for a BBQ, a few drinks and some great camaraderie. After breakfast on Sunday and a morning tea with chocolate cake, the Sprite drivers heads home, vowing to come back next year.

Well this meeting of the clubs continued for the next 30 years!

And the format remained the same, though it grew as the numbers grew. This was a time of population growth with the Sprite Clubs, so many kids also went to Bordertown and had a chance to see what happened on the farm.

The drive there was usually on Friday afternoon or after work arriving to find a space in the shearing shed to set up your airbed, sleeping bag, etc. A warming fire allowed conversations to flow and friends to reacquaint themselves once again.

After breakfast on Saturday morning the Sprite Driver headed to Tolmer Speedway in Bordertown, where the pit area or surrounding grounds were used for the motorkhana. Depending upon the season this area could be dry, dusty, grassy, damp, wet or muddy, making it interesting for the drivers.

Many people had their first motorsport event at Bordertown, buying a CAMS Basic Licence for $5.00 and $5.00 entry, it was cheap, fun motorsport. Some took it seriously, some had fun and many of the female members had a drive, often showing the guys how to get around the flags quickly.

After the event, the Sprite driver would either stop at the pub for a drink, the caravan park for a shower, or head back to the farm. Here a warming fire was burning and a BBQ feast was being cooked by all concerned. Salads, etc added to the feast, and no-one went hungry!

Then it became the serious part of the night, the announcement of the trophies. Fastest outright for male and female, and winning teams for both Sprite and Associate vehicles. Some years it would go one side of the border, the following year it might return, but the Vic’s were hard to beat. There was also one of the courses that the fastest time won a choice of one of Ruth Dodd’s oil paintings, often depicting the local area.

In the morning there may have been a few sore heads, but after breakfast the hayride was feature for young and old. With a number of vehicles, motorbikes, etc the visitors to the property were given a guided tour of the farm by Mandy’s Dad Ralph. He would go out of his way to show the city-slickers what life on the farm was like and what had happened from last year.

There were dams with protective swans, various crops to explain, wildlife to show, and an eagles next that provided a chance for the ambitious to try and get a rock into the nest. There were also the occasional cow pat fight (the Turd World Wars) that never ended well.

Once back at the shearing shed, all would grab their coffee cup and head to the homestead for a morning tea that covered many tables. There were biscuits, scones, and many other assortments, but Ruth Dodd’s chocolate cake was the prize, often with up to three large cakes baked to feed the group. After morning tea, farewells were said, and the Sprite drivers headed home, waiting till next year to come back.

During the early 1990’s Ralph and Ruth moved off the property into Bordertown, though the farm remained in the family (and still does)

The Bordertown caravan park became the meeting and sleeping place for the next chapter. BBQ was held at the speedway, with their club members catering and operating the bar – with generous serves for the price.

Without the hayride, the morning became a chance to continue to talk and still have the enjoyable morning tea – with chocolate cake!

Looking for suitable accommodation in the district lead to Pendleton Farm, a farm stay venue, with dormitory rooms, fixed tents, a large meeting /dining area and kitchen that they would cater breakfast, lunch and dinner. This became the venue for the Bordertown Weekend for the next 12 years.

As the motorkhana competitor numbers dropped the weekend became more social, with drives around the district to visit points of interest, wineries, etc becoming the trend. The next generation of kids stayed at the farm and saw sheep, cows and other animals up close.

The social chats, and friendships continued to grow and form at this venue and in recognition of this, and the generosity of Ralph and Ruth to help form this friendship between the two Sprite Clubs, a Plaque was cast to recognise the importance of this. Prior to his death Ralph had devoted many hours to a wildlife park on the edge of the town, so in conjunction with the local council a seat was made and located at the rest stop alongside the wildlife park and the plaque was attached to this.

This venue became the meeting point where the SA and Victorians said there farewells after the Bordertown Weekends. It also is where many Sprite members will now stop and sit for a minute or two on their journeys between Melbourne and Adélaïde and reflect ion the importance of this town, and how it became the catalyst of the forming of many lifelong friendships that are still strong between the members of the Sprite Club of SA and the Austin Healey Sprite Drivers Club of Victoria.

Thanks to John Clarke for the early images of Bordertown.