Motor Gymkhana at Harry’s Farm

Extracted from The Story of Harry’s House By Shirley Jurmann

There was a house on the eastern side of the Princes highway, as you come along the Mullenderree Flats into Moruya from the north.  It was known in times past as “Oaklands” and has a long history starting in the 1860s when James Francis Lynch built the original house.  It later passed hands several times but shortly after the 1925 floods Abe Louttitt bought the property.

On Abe’s retirement in 1942, he asked his son Harry to take over the property – Harry, his wife Flo and their first child Wendy moved to the house. 

If Harry’s House could talk – and Shirley Jurmann has listened to it – it would tell many Moruya stories including this one about a motor gymkhana.  We’ll let Shirley recount what Harry’s House told her about a most unusual event!

Harry made a flat area in on his property available in 1962 for the first motor sports event, called a Motor Gymkhana, in the area and this led eventually to a racetrack at North Heads. What a day that first race meet was with the local lads racing around in their souped up cars and on motorbikes.

I had never heard anything like the noise!  Once when I looked out late in the day I saw groups of people standing around giggling and pointing to the hessian toilets which had been erected for the comfort of the competitors and spectators. I stretched to see what was causing such mirth and couldn’t help giggling myself although I was embarrassed for the poor unsuspecting occupant. As the sun had gone further to the west it was shining through the thin hessian walls and the occupant was clearly silhouetted! One of the officials finally came to remedy the situation.

Harrys House as told by Shirley Jurmann

Photos of Motor Gymkhana, 1962, at Harry’s Farm near Moruya

Harry dearly loved Moruya, his family and local history, community affairs, his farm and his house .…. he became a Shire Councillor was involved in the establishment of a Rodeo Committee and very dear to his heart, the forming of an Historical Society. He called a meeting at the High School in June 1970 and gave an impassioned speech urging the formation of just such a Society saying it would be ‘an exciting and rewarding project.’ I have heard that its members find it so.”

Harry died in 1990 and Flo in 1992 and Harry’s house had a new owner.  It had been in the Louttitt family for close to seventy years.