POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Notes

This racing sulky was handmade by Reg J. Walsh in the loft over Les Edward's stables at 6 Wood Street, Forest Lodge, an inner-Sydney suburb. Prior to becoming involved in sulky manufacturing, Reg was engaged in a number of other occupations. It was Reg's uncle, the Sydney saddle maker, J.P. Tatty, who suggested that Reg, then of a mature age, could make trotting sulkies. In 1961 there were no sulky manufacturers in Sydney whereas just prior to this there had been three of them including Joe Clarke at Marrickville, Brewer at Petersham and Egan in Sydney. All three had died within 12 months of each other which left the market wide open for Reg to proceed. Reg's first factory was the Wood Street loft where he worked there for five years gradually building up his expertise and business although conditions were far from ideal under a corrugated iron roof which was stifling during the summer months. Reg's early sulkies cost 95 pounds each whereas by 1985 they sold for between $650 and $950. In 1967 Reg moved his factory into larger premises, a former bakery building at 1A Fore Street, Canterbury, in Sydney's inner-west which had been converted to stables. An increased work load saw Reg begin to employ staff. In 1974 he moved again to even larger premises at 126 Woids Avenue, Carlton. At this time he also bought Glenleigh Products, who made the undercarriage and steel fittings for the sulkies. As imported Hickory for the sulky frames became harder to source from the USA and decreased in quality, Reg began using Australian spotted gum instead. Reg then noticed the economic benefits and durability of stainless steel as a material for frames and began to experiment with this new material. Unfortunately, stainless-steel framed racing sulkies were not permitted in races by the Australian Trotting Association. However, demonstrations of their safety and constant lobbying by Reg eventually resulted in them being permitted in 1979, six years after Reg's first stainless-steel prototype. About this time, Reg was joined by his son, James (Jim) Stephen Walsh, who had been working in the aluminium industry. In the early 1980s R.J. Walsh and Son moved into a new factory at 122 Gow Street, Padstow. In 1984 Reg retired and by this time the business had grown with some 70 percent of sulkies at trotting meetings being the Regal brand. A total of some 7,500 sulkies had been made until then with a monthly turnover of about 120 produced by a staff of six. Clip-on mudguards were introduced about this time and sulkies for the then developing sport of mini-trotting, which used Shetland ponies, were being made. In 1992 the firm launched its Regal Mini Sulky for dog racing in the USA which has subsequently opened more markets. Information derived from an oral history interview with R.J. Walsh and his son in 1985.