East London Athletics Club, formed in 1935, is now in its 10th decade of being a force and playing a meaningful role in both Border and South African athletics and has a new chair at the helm.
This week, with the assistance of long-time member Richard Patten, I caught up with the new man to gauge his and the club’s future plans.
Tamas Salamon was born in Hungary and arrived in South Africa as a pre-teen in 1980.
Tamas, 57, went to Glen High in Pretoria. He is married to Donné, and they have two grown daughters, Julia and Rachel, who have finished their schooling and are studying back in Johannesburg, from whence the family moved.
At the time of the relocation it was a toss-up between an international destination and a city on the coast of South Africa.
Happily, the South African coast won, and for now the rest is history.
The East London Athletics Club has had many fine athletes and generally enjoyed sound leadership, epitomised by the late Trevor Gee, who was instrumental in the establishment of the once proud Amalinda Track, host to many great events attracting the likes of Mathews Temane, Xolile Yawa and many other top South African athletes.
Gee was also the chair of Border Athletics for many years and played a vital role in negotiations to unite the sport in the late eighties to early nineties.
The club currently organises the annual 10km Laser Challenge in January, which has grown substantially over the years, as well as the Golden Oldies 10km, which takes place on July 18.
The name of the race is a bit of a misnomer given that it is open to all age groups within the confines of 10km racing.
Salamon has taken over the reins of the club, which is stationed on French Street, Cambridge, from Graham Reynolds, who has been at the helm for many years, and like all new leaders, he has innovative ideas, which, were it not so, would be surprising.
Running is something he has always engaged in alongside other sports, with squash being one of the most prominent. When the family moved to the Eastern Cape from Gauteng, that changed, and running took prominence.
Salomon tells us how he ran on temporary numbers to begin with but after a few months started looking around for a club.
Given that the family lives in Vincent, that would have resulted in numerous options, but he got a good feel for the club, also known as ELAC, and with Cambridge not being far away, the decision was made.
We spoke about various running matters and characters that have been part of the club.
The name of now 90-year-old Tony Jacobs came up, and many will recall him walking at races, while others still, the Surfers Challenge organising fraternity in particular, along with those who grew up with the former Dolphin Hotel as a significant landmark, will remember Tony as a lively and entertaining barman who watched closely for underage wannabe patrons, this scribe included.
Every club has its characters, and Tony is one to be proud of.
Salamon has plans to instil growth into one of the province’s oldest running clubs, the other being Queenstown Harriers.
Dewald Steyn has written many volumes on the “History of South African Cross Country, Middle and Long Distance Running”, and in volume one, a number of ELAC members feature, inclusive of Gee, whose name appears on six different pages. The first volume covers the years 1894 to 1966.
The brothers Torr, Des and Trevor, who were delightful athletes to watch in action and real gentlemen, are also featured with Des on 11 pages and Trevor on four. The late Jannie Breed, who ran all aspects of athletics, had his results captured on 15 pages.
Many road runners came along during the “running boom” and made their mark. Included in them were Herman van der Wilt, Ernest Alvin, Tony Viljoen, Temba Boso, Mike Warren, Fanekaya Banjatwa, Phillip Quvana, Edgar Moyo, Elliot Valtyn, Gordon Shaw, Estelle Tiltman and many others.
That is an example of the legacy the club enjoys and one which I get the strong impression Tamas Salamon will be proud and happy to steer into a positive future. He is particularly proud of the affordable nature of being a member.
Click here to join the Daily Dispatch’s WhatsApp channel and get the latest news delivered straight to your phone
Daily Dispatch
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.