THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF VICTORIA
The year is 1903 and the age of the automobile had arrived, Henry had been one of the first people in Victoria to not only own a car but to also design and build one. As car ownership grew in Victoria 3 men took a ride down to Touradin, Victoria and decided it would be a great idea to form an automobile club. Excited by the idea the, the men who became known as the Touradin Trio passed the word around to fellow motorists and a car run was organised and in December 1903. The motorists were headed to Mordialloc a seaside suburb of Melbourne there they stopped for refreshment at the local hotel where an informal meeting was held to discuss the formation of the club. As the group of 55 men discussed ideas about the philosophy of the club Henry drafted the motion that to officially form the club. After a slight change of wording of the motion the men voted and passed the motion and the first automobile club in Victoria was formed. The motion was ratified at a formal meeting a few days later. The club was called the Automobile Club of Victoria and in October 1916 the club gained its Royal Prefix. Today the RACV as it is known has over 2 million members and Henry Sutton’s motion still stands today.
FIRST CAR RACES IN AUSTRALIA
In early 1904 in a show that clearly marked that the age of the automobile had arrived, a procession of cars, motorcycles and bicycles lined up across Princess Bridge Melbourne. This was a huge event as crowds lined up to witness the spectacle. The procession of vehicles which was headed by Henry and his friend, the Vice Consol of the United States Dr Merrill travelled along St Kilda Rd as the crowd cheered them on. They procession was headed to Aspendale Park where a series of car races were going to be held. The races proved a great success and were the first car races in Australia. From these humble beginnings car racing in Australia has grown to be a global event that is broadcasted all over the world.