The Keilor Gift is one of this region’s most popular and enduring sporting traditions.
For 75 years, the footrace has been one of Victorian Athletic League’s premier professional events.
On February 14, the VAL’s best sprinters will converge on Keilor Recreation Reserve when the race returns after a year-long hiatus.
The last race event was especially significant for locals as it was Keilor township’s 150th anniversary, with the Gift as the centrepiece to the celebrations.
Keilor Gift was first held in 1933 then lapsed in 1976. Long-time Keilor resident Joe Brown was a key organiser throughout the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, and was also behind the event’s resumption before his death in 1990.
Race day resumed the next year in 1991 and the trophy was named in Joe Brown’s honour.
This year’s key sponsor Luke Eres, director of Innate Wealth Pty Ltd, has supported the event for many years.
“We feel that it’s very important as a local business to support the local community that has supported us over the years.
“The Keilor Gift is a way that we can reinvest into the area and give back to a community that gives so much to us,” he said.
The action begins at noon with 11 races on the card.
