Centenary of Stawell Athletics ClubPrint Page

The fountain commemorates the centenaryof the Stawell Athletics Club in 1977. 

In 1877 a group of young Stawell businessmen and farmers proposed a sports meeting for the town to be held every Easter, featuring athletics which would not only provide relaxation and entertainment, but was relatively cheap to stage and take part in.  Initially there was fierce opposition from the gold miners who already had their own sports meeting in October. The Stawell Gift began in 1878 at the end of the gold rush, as the "Easter Gift" of ₤24 (several thousands in today's dollars) conducted by the Stawell Athletic Club in a program of seven races, most run in multiple heats. In 1897 it became the Stawell Gift. It has been raced every year since, except for four years during the Second World War.

Note: The fountain originally was located in the Gold Reef Mall in Main Street. In 2004 the mall was reopened to traffic and the fountain was removed. As at 2014, the fountain still exists and currently sits in a council yard. Suggestions were raised that it be relocated to Cato Park, but council estimates its relocation and reinstallation would be too expensive.

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