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Expanding Horizons: Sports
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Sporting facilities take shape
By Queensland Times sports editor David Lems.
The period from 1970 to the early 2000s featured a dramatic change in focus for sport in the Ipswich region.
- Many traditionally amateur sports became professional in their approach, with new CEOs, better sponsorships and major facility upgrades.
- One of the most important developments for the region was the creation of the Ipswich Motorsport Precinct at Willowbank in the 1980s. The multi-million dollar complex provided the infrastructure for major events in a range of motorsports including drag racing, V8 Supercars, touring cars, karting and rallying. It also provided a suitable venue for motorcycle racing, historic events and shows.
- The first group to use the vacant land was the Ipswich West Moreton Auto Club, under a verbal agreement with Moreton Shire Council.
- In the late 1970s, long-serving Ipswich official Errol Bognuda helped plan the start of what was to become a motorsport mecca. The Ipswich and West Moreton Auto Club, formed in 1954, would later set up its base in the area.
- The Motorsport Precinct began to expand in the 1980s as Willowbank Raceway was created. The first drag racing meeting was held at Willowbank on September 28, 1985, three and a half years after the plans were drawn up.
- Jets received a major boost and in 1981 the Ipswich Greyhound Racing Club was formed. In 1989, Ipswich Musketeers Baseball Club moved from Spring Street at East Ipswich to Church Street.
- In 1989 the Ipswich Men's and Women's hockey associations merged to form the Ipswich Hockey Association Inc. Ipswich basketball turned professional in 1993.
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Expanding Horizons: Sports. Picture Ipswich, accessed 20/05/2025, https://www.pictureipswich.com.au/nodes/view/30152