On the eve of the 135th running of the Stawell Easter Gift it’s rather timely that Lesley Clark, daughter of the late Carlton dual Premiership wingman Jim Clark, should share this image of her Dad in his silks and spikes sporting the blue sash earned as a footrunner at Stawell.

The photo was captured 70 years ago - not long after Jim, appropriately nicknamed “Racehorse”, took out the 75 yard sprint at Stawell, in what was the first meeting there in four years since the race was abandoned owing to the Second World War.

“For memory the photo was taken in the backyard of Dad’s oldest brother’s place in Kyneton. He was Lloyd Clark, who played with and coached Kyneton,” Lesley said. "Uncle Lloyd was picked up by Collingwood and was listed to play in 1938 or 1939, but he didn’t want to come to Melbourne and chose to stay in Kyneton.”

“My father very much valued that sash. My brother Greg has the sash now, which is good."

Jim Clark after the Stawell Gift, 1946. (Photo: Clark family)

In the Carlton Football Club’s ’46 Annual Report, Clark’s effort at Stawell was acknowledged by the club – together with his Most Consistent Player Trophy and long service awards hard won at Princes Park.

Similarly, fellow Carlton footballer Jim Baird was commended for “his outstanding success at the Bendigo and Stawell Athletic Carnivals where he started in 15 races for 11 wins and two thirds including 3rd placing in the famous Stawell Gift”, the nation’s richest footrace.

Ditto Vin Brown, who finished fifth in the Gift and, like Clark and Baird, represented Carlton in the Premierships of 1945 and ’47.

Clark was 22 by the time he had played his part in both the ’45 and ’47 Grand final conquests. A three-time Victorian representative, he would later take out the ’51 Robert Reynolds Trophy (now the John Nicholls Medal) for Club Champion.
 
By then, Clark was 161 games into his senior career and at the peak of his football powers. But he had played his last game for Carlton - the lure of a new house proving too great for him not to accept the role of captain-coach of Echuca.

Those who might like to contribute old photographs or film to the Carlton Football Club archive are urged to contact the historian on 9387 1400.