Expanding Horizons: Sports

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.