7th March 2014

Our queen of karts - From the Circular Head Chronicle

(http://www.chchronicle.com.au/queen-karts-6445/)

Smithton's Colleen Hinds with her award for "Person of the Year - Karting" at the CAMS Tasmania Motor Sport Awards last weekend (PIc: Circular Head Chronicle)

Smithton’s Colleen Hinds has been crowned as the state’s karting Person of the Year for 2013, receiving the award at the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) Tasmania Motor Sport Awards in Launceston last weekend.

The Circular Head Kart Club volunteer accepted her award at the Tasmanian Country Club in front of a room full of people, keeping her speech short and sweet in stating “I’m a do-er, not a speaker, so I’d just like to say thanks”.

Mrs Hinds was extremely surprised with the announcement, and only found out about her nomination – later revealed to be from her husband – when the final decision was made last month.

“Friends in Hobart gave me some flowers,” she explained, “and I thought ‘what’s this for?’

“I was very shocked and I felt very honoured – I don’t do these sorts of things to win awards.

“If I started thanking people [in the speech], I’d be there all night.”

Mrs Hinds has been involved in the sport for almost 18 years, after originally signing up to help out in the canteen during the Australian Karting Titles in Smithton in 1996.

What started as a moment of casual volunteering for the bus driver by trade turned into a position on the ladies committee, before stepping up to various managerial roles including treasurer and race secretary.

“I started volunteering on a regular basis and over a period of time, I became the ladies committee [on my own],” she said.

“I start the day making rolls, before I go upstairs to do race secretary stuff.”

Mrs Hinds is encouraging more people to get involved in the club, noting a growing interest in the motor sport this year.

“Numbers in karts are picking up, [and] we need the next generation to give us a hand,” she said.