‘Our strength is in Fred's leadership’: The man behind one of Australia’s largest BMX clubs

A passionate and caring club with strong community connections and a world-class facility, led by an inspiring president: this is the impression Macarthur BMX Club hopes to leave with riders when they host rounds 3 and 4 of the AusCycling BMX Racing National Series next month.

Formed in 1998 with almost no assets, the club has grown to become one of the biggest in Australia, with almost 500 members based out of the new multimillion-dollar Kirkham Park venue in Sydney’s south-west.

Club president Fred Furner is the driving force behind the development of the site, as his predecessor Mark Osbourne explains.

“He’s just like a dog with a bone,” Osbourne says. “I remember when the new facility was on the drawing board … and we went to a council meeting with Fred, and I remember coming out of that meeting thinking, ‘Wow, this is never going to happen.’ There's just too much work involved. There's too much money to be found.

“Fred – with his dog-with-a-bone attitude – I don't think it would have got off the ground and (been) seen through the way it was completed with anyone else but him. I don't think I would have had the tenacity and the endurance to have done it.”

While Furner’s resolve made things happen at Kirkham Park, his work ethic and consideration for others also helped build a strong social foundation away from the track.

“He's always willing to help everyone, anyone. He goes above and beyond for his board members, his members, and families of the riders. I've known him for nearly 35 years, and he's always been like that,” Furner’s wife Kylie explains.

“He's always doing something. His phone's ringing all the time, and he's at the club five to six nights per week, getting involved, doing things, and meeting people at the track.”

Fred Furner with son Jye (Photo: Danielle Lane)

Like many, Furner’s involvement in Macarthur BMX began when his son started racing at age seven.

“I guess I’m the sort of person that always likes to get involved, and I knew that if I started to ride with him, I would be too competitive, and I’d hurt myself. And I couldn’t afford to do that,” Furner recalls fondly. “But I said to the club that I’d help out anywhere I could.

“So, 12 months after we joined the club, the secretary came to me at the AGM and said, ‘Oh, you always like to help out.’

“And I said, ‘Yes.’ And he said, ‘Okay, great. Here’s the keys to the letterbox and a sheet of paper. You’re the secretary next year,’” he laughs.

Once on the committee, Furner steadily built a legacy of consistent leadership mixed with a willingness to innovate and not being afraid to “make decisions that don’t necessarily please everybody, but that support the greater good,” as vice-president Paul Kubisch puts it.

“We all have our contentious issues from time to time, but at the end of the day, (the committee’s) strength has been in Fred’s leadership in that president role,” Kubisch adds.

Over and above his administrative skills, Furner is known by club members for his genuine care for people.

“He's always been really passionate about family and family first,” shares race secretary Danielle Lane. “(My dad) had terminal cancer a couple of years ago, and Fred was always like checking in on me and making sure that I was okay, because I didn't miss a race meet.

“I was there every time, my kids were there to race, but I didn't want to let the club down. And he kept on saying to me, ‘family first, family first.’ And I'm like, ‘No, I need to be here. Like, this is keeping me going.’

“So, yeah, he's just a really stand-up kind of guy.”

A humble figure, Furner has been eager to deflect attention to the club and community members whom he says have played instrumental roles along the way, including countless council representatives, club sponsors and members, track designers and builders, and other BMX officials.

For Macarthur BMX, hosting the National Series will be an opportunity to recognise all their hard work in creating the new facility, and to repay the support shown by the Camden Council.

Just as importantly for Furner, it will bring the joy of BMX racing to more people.

“I like to see smiles on faces at the track, people enjoying it. And it's not only individuals, but it's whole families who’ve got involved: mum and dad and all the kids ride.

“So, even though I don't ride myself, I just like to see people enjoying the facility and our services.”

AusCycling 2023 BMX Racing National Series | Round 3 and 4

• Dates: 8-9 July, 2023
• Location: Sydney, NSW
• Venue: Macarthur BMX Club, Corner Hilder Street and, Camden Valley Way, Elderslie
• Times: From 10:00am Saturday and 8:00am Sunday (all times AEST)

National Series information: available here

The 2023 AusCycling BMX Racing National Series Rounds 3 and 4 are supported by Camden Council.

Main Photo: Danielle Lane