Following the recent 104th Championships of the GPS Track and Field, held on Tuesday 12 October 2021, it seems fitting to highlight some remarkable records both old and new.

In the weeks leading up to the 1979 championships the talk was about the show down over the Open 1500 between Churchie’s Brett Crew (1979) and Toowoomba Grammar’s Brett Winter. Brett Winter had run 4m 09.6 seconds as an Under 16, being 12.3s faster than Brett Crew at that age. Furthermore, Brett Winter had achieved the Open rare treble of 800, 1500 and 3000 in 1978.

In 1979, Brett Crew was going for his fourth consecutive double of 800 and 1500, so the stage was set. He didn’t disappoint, winning the 800 in a record time of 1m 49.6s and later followed up by winning the 1500, from Brett Winter, in a record time of 3m 52.9s. After the 1500m, Brett Winter won the 3000 in 8m 55.7s, nearly 27 seconds faster than the previous year and later in the day was a member of the winning Open 4x800 metre relay. Perhaps not surprisingly to those who were there on that day, Brett Crew’s two records (recorded by hand, not electronically) are still unbroken 42 years later and remain the two longest standing current records in the competition.

At this year’s championships another remarkable record was achieved. In a commanding display on the track, fourth generation Churchie student Archie Ridgway (Year 11) smashed the Under 16 1500m GPS record by 5 seconds with a time of 3m 55.26s. Only time will tell if Archie too has set a record that will still be talked about in 42 years.

Keeping it blue and grey, Archie is coached by Old Boy Jayden Russ (2002), a successful runner in his own right having won multiple GPS and National titles over 1500m, 3000m and cross country. Another vital part of Archie’s team is his physiotherapist, Old Boy Miles Browning (1983).

Before the 1500 metre clash in 1979 between Brett Crew (CEGS) and Brett Winter (TGS), these were the comparisons.

Brett Crew (1979)

Brett Winter (TGS)

1979 Showdown

Thank you to Rod Bennett, an Old Boy of Toowoomba Grammar School, for his significant contribution to this article.