New Zealand-born Jacob Diedrich Arnst aka Richard or Dick Arnst was first a champion cyclist and later a champion sculler.
He was first a passenger on board the Wimmera on its departure from Lyttelton on 3 March 1905. He had joined the ship on its passage to Sydney where he disembarked on 8 March.
The occasion for his visit to Australia was to participate in the third annual “Sydney Thousand” cycling carnival which was scheduled to open at the Sydney Cricket Ground on the evening of his arrival. The main event of the carnival was the “Sydney Thousand” handicap race itself which ran over the distance of one mile and had a prize pool of £1000 to be divided between the first three place-getters – £750 for first, £100 for second, and £50 for third.
In addition to the various race events in this carnival he also participated in the Newcastle Cycling carnival races.
CYCLING
THE SYDNEY THOUSAND.
Those riders who figure amongst the entrants for the Sydney Thousand should make a special note of the fact that acceptances are due with Mr. M’Intosh, the league secretary, to-morrow, and they must be in his hands by 5 p.m. A large number have already accepted, including Lawson, MacFarland, Rutt, Ellegaard, Walker, Farley, M’Donald, Scheps, Pye, Morgan and the remainder of the first-class inter-State and international riders. The handicap is such a good one, taken all round, that the league secretary anticipates that there will only be a few riders who will not accept. The acceptance fee is 5s. Out of the 160 entrants, it is expected that there will be at least 140 starters.
R. Arnst, one of the celebrated family of New Zealand riders, yesterday cabled his acceptance for the Sydney Thousand, and nomination for other events at the carnival. Arnst is to be the special representative of Maoriland in the big event in which he has been allotted 50yds. He is one of the nearest of the Australasian riders to the international men in the big handicap. R. and J. Arndt are two of the best road riders in the world, and R. Arnst is a very fine track rider, holding New Zealand championships. Arnst should prove a worthy representative of the land of the moa in the world’s greatest cycling event. When on his last visit to this State, Arnst had a bad full while riding overland to Melbourne, which ruined his racing prospects for the time. He is reported to be in better form now than at any other part of his career.
Daily Telegraph, Friday 3 March 1905, page 7
The New Zealand champion cyclist and rower Richard (Dick) Arnst was a passenger aboard the ss Wimmera following his win of the Sydney Thousand cycling race in 1906.
On Wednesday 4 April 1906, Dick Arnst arrived [back] in Wellington from Sydney aboard the Wimmera having just won the Sydney Thousand cycling race.
© Ralph L. Sanderson 2004-2021
SS Wimmera 