Carlo provides flood recovery advice to the Victorian Racing Club at Flemington Racecourse in 1916

In 1916, on Saturday September 23 and Sunday September 24, Melbourne suffered from extensive flooding - the Yarra River rose in places by 18 feet and the Maribyrnong River flooded low-lying land along its bank, including parts of Footscray, Kensington and Flemington. Kensington residents were also impacted by the flooded Moonee Ponds Creek. Many people were made homeless. (1).

Here are some reports of the flooding -

.... no fewer than 70 residences at Maribyrnong, mostly erections of practically recent date, were rendered untenable and the contents considerably damaged. In one or two cases only the roofs of the houses were discernible and as floating logs and rooted-up trees came down stream, impelled by an irresistible force, to crash against the sides of the buildings, it was feared that the structures would be swept away. (2).

There was this  short report -  Along Maribyrnong River, at Kensington, about 200 houses were flooded and the flood water covers an area of about 24 acres. (3).

Another report about Kensington - 

At Kensington the Moonee Ponds Creek overflow took place in the area from the Flemington road on the north to the West Melbourne docks on the south. Despite the low-lying nature of this territory portion of it is thickly inhabited, and the dwellers in these areas suffered severely. The canal, swollen with a fall of over five inches of rain, assumed the proportions of a huge river, and soon Stubbs street, which faces the creek, was merged in the rushing torrent and the tide was lapping at the doors of houses in the vicinity and inundating back yards and homes in a manner which threatened much worse conditions to come. Factories were surrounded by huge lakes, and a general cessation of labour resulted. Residents stuck to their home to the last possible moment, and as a result many were rescued in exciting circumstances. Conditions were particularly bad in the area south of Macaulay road, where, despite the perils of the position, a number of new houses had recently been erected. About 30 families had to leave their homes, and many of the sufferers alleged that the flood, as in previous case, was rendered more serious as a result of the stupid policy of the Government in stopping the flow of the creek by driving piles in connection with a bridge, at the railway gravitation yards into the bed of the canal. The authorities arranged that sufferers could store their belongings at the Kensington Town Hall, but more material comforts were provided by the kindly offices of a number of residents who hastily improvised an impromptu relief movement.  Prominent among such benefactors was Mrs. Jones, licensee of the Centennial Hotel (4),  who threw her doors open to the sufferers, with the result that 31 individuals were accommodated with free board and lodging until the waters subsided. To accomplish this philanthropic task local bakers, butchers and grocers had to break through Sunday observance to supply the requisite stores to supply such to the large "family"' so suddenly called into being. It was a case of the better the day, the better the deed (5).

Floods at Flemington, c, 1900-1925. I believe the top image is of 

the Moonee Ponds Creek.

State Library of Victoria Image H37726

Many residents were unprepared for the flooding and The Age report noted the reason why some residents were caught out - 

Word that Maribyrnong River was likely to overflow was first received by Sergeant Ryan, of the Footscray police, on Thursday, but at that time there had been little rain in the metropolis, and though the police warned residents below flood level to be prepared very little attention was paid to the warning. In the intervening years since the previous destructive flood similar warnings had been issued on numerous occasions, but the expected floods did not occur, and those concerned found that the trouble in removing goods to higher levels had been unnecessary. Consequently on this occasion, even when on Friday fortified by reports from Lancefield, Sunbury and Gisborne, the police issued a further warning, very little heed was paid. But on Saturday morning the river commenced to rise so rapidly that those concerned had to make for safe positions, and had then very slight opportunity for saving their goods. By midday the river overflowed its banks from Maribyrnong to the railway bridge at Footscray, and half an hour later the heavy volume of water had spread in some places until the river appeared in places along the Maribyrnong valley over half a mile wide; and it kept on rising. (6).

Some of these residents suffered a double blow as many places of employment were also affected by the flood - the Abattoirs at Kensington for instance and the the Colonial Ammunition Company, at Footscray which was flooded to a depth of six feet - it was reported that it would be close to a month before it could operate again. (7)

Flemington Racecourse. The Great Flood Sept 10, 1906 - the flood a decade earlier

State Library of Victoria Image H42587/8

Also affected by the flood was the Flemington Racecourse. The following paragraph lead The Age newspaper's report on the flood - 

History repeated itself on the Maribyrnong River on Saturday. Ten years previously premises along its banks were flooded out; the racecourse at Flemington was submerged and left in such a condition that the V.R.C. October meeting had to be held at Caulfield, and considerable valuable property was washed away. The position is practically the same now, and the fact that such is the case completely disposes of the excuse put forward in 1906 that the trouble was caused by the damming back of water at the underpinned railway bridge at Footscray. (8)

Naturally the concern of the V.R.C., in 1916 was the same as that in 1906 - the fact that the Melbourne Cup carnival, held in early November, was just five weeks away, so they went straight to the top and asked Carlo Catani for advice on how to remedy the flood damage.  In October  1916, The Age reported - 

A visit of inspection was yesterday paid to the Flemington racecourse by the chairman (Mr. L. K.S. Mackinnon) and members of committee, who were accompanied by Messrs. Catani (Public Works department), Kermode (engineer of ports and harbors), W. Davidson and Jas. Wilson, jun. The object of the visit was to confer and obtain advice in regard to the flood damage, and the means of removing the silt, thousands of tons of which was carried on to the racing track, saddling paddock and lawn by the flood waters. The silt is being cut away and removed as quickly as possible, and new turf will have 
to be laid in various parts of the ground. The methods of dealing with the work in hand were generally approved of by the visitors, who attended by invitation, and it is expected that with a spell of fine weather, the grounds will be in readiness by Derby day, Saturday, 4th November. The repairs to be effected will entail a considerable outlay. In the committee rooms and other buildings the linoleums and other furnishings were badly damaged by the flood waters, and will need to be replaced. (9).

The Age later reported on the efficacy of these remedial works  - 

Traces of the devastation wrought by the recent floods will be easily discernible at Flemington on Saturday week, when the V.R.C. Spring meeting will be commenced with the Derby programme. Yesterday forenoon a semi-official inspection of the course and grounds was made by a party of sporting pressmen and others........In some parts of the course the flood waters extended to a height of 6 feet to 7 feet, and considerable damage was done not only to the racing track for the whole circuit, but also in various other directions, and it is estimated that the cost of the renovation work will total close upon £2000. Particular attention first of all was paid to the course proper, from which thousands of tons of silt, which had been 15 inches deep in places, had to be removed, and when the whole of the running track was chipped off with spades by the workman, grass had to be sown down immediately. The roots of the original plantation had not been interfered with to any extent, and this, with the new growth, has done so well that with a few fine days ahead everything will be in readiness for the big fixture next month. There may be a soft spot or two close to the rails, but generally speaking the course should be in excellent order by Melbourne Cup day. The silt has been placed in heaps in the saddling paddock and other parts of the course for removal or use in some other way in the future.....In its scheme of renovations and improvements, at which between 350 and 500 men were employed, the club received material expert assistance from Messrs. Catani, Kermode and Davidson, and has done excellent work during the time at its disposal. (10)

The Melbourne Cup race went ahead and was won by Sasanof, by over two lengths. In reality, the winner was the Victorian Racing Club who had the resources to employ up to 500 men to repair the damage to the Flemington Racecourse as well as the clout to receive the advice of the top Public Works Department Engineer, Carlo Catani. I wonder how much official assistance the people along the Maribrynong River and Moonee Ponds Creek, who were flooded received, but I think we know the answer to that (11). It was no doubt left to concerned locals such as Mrs Margaret Jones of the Centennial Hotel and her troop of bakers, butchers and grocers. 

Footnotes - 

(1) Read flood reports - The Age, September 25, 1916, see here; The Argus, September 25, 1916, see here; Bendigo Independent, September 25, 1916, see here; The Age, September 26, 1916, see here; Flemington Spectator, September 28, 1916, see here;

(2) The Age, September 25, 1916, see here

(3) Bendigo Independent, September 25, 1916, see here

(4) The Centennial Hotel, on the corner of Rankins Road and Smith Street in Kensington was built in 1888, a good description was in the North Melbourne Advertiser, September 8, 1888, see here.  There was the Bar, Dining Room and Billiard room on the ground floor; 14 bedrooms on the second floor and 21 bedrooms on the third floor. It was sold in September 1938  to Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Sadler, licensees of the Village Belle Hotel, St. Kilda. The hotel, a large three-story brick structure, has long been a landmark in Kensington suburb, and is one of the oldest and best-known hotels there. It is the intention of Mr. and Mrs. Sadler to reconstruct the hotel and make it one of the most modern suburban hotels. (The Age, September 24, 1938, see here). In April 1939, it was reported that the Victorian Licensing Court had given approval for alterations costing £4000 to be carried out to the Centennial Hotel, Kensington, Victoria, by F. Morsby, architect. This would have been the time that the hotel was converted into the existing two storey building. (Construction, April 5, 1939, see here)

At the time of the flood it was operated by Margaret Jones; her husband John Joseph Jones, had died the year before, in Sydney, on September 18, 1915; he had previously been at the Cornish Arms Hotel in Brunswick and the Cheltenham Hotel, Cheltenham. He was an active supporter of all branches of sport, and will be well remembered in connection with the early history of the Colllngwood Football Club.  (Death notice The Argus, September 21, 1915, see here; short obituary in The Herald September 22, 1915, see here). Margaret died January 7, 1917 at the age of 42; the couple had two children, John and Eileen. The late Mrs. Jones endeared herself to a large circle of friends by her philanthropic acts; her generous deeds in relieving sufferers by the recent floods will be remembered, and she was a prominent worker in local charitable and patriotic movements.   (Obituary Essendon Gazette, January 11, 1917, see here) 

(5) Flemington Spectator, September 28, 1916, see here

(6) The Age, September 25, 1916, see here

(7) Ibid

(8) Ibid

(9) The Age, October 10, 1916, see here; there is another report of the visit in The Argus of October 10, 1916, see here.

(10) The Age, October 28, 1916, see here.

(11) Interesting letter here about the lack of assistance from the Melbourne City Council -  The Argus, September 26, 1916, see here.

Carlo Catani and the Caulfield Racecourse

The area occupied by the Caulfield Racecourse, operated by the Victorian Amateur Turf Club (VATC) (1), has been the subject of on-going disputes regarding public access to the land for well over 120 years. The land had been used for racing since 1859 (2) and that same year Trustees were appointed to the site, which had been set aside for racing and other purposes of public recreation.  

Trustees appointed to the Caulfield Racecourse, 1859.

Victoria Government Gazette April 5, 1859, p. 660.  https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1859/V/general/50.pdf 

The multiple uses of this land were confirmed in 1879 when the land was permanently reserved from sale as a site for Racing, Recreation and Public Park Purposes.

Gazetting of the land for Racing, Recreation and a Public Park, 1879.

Victoria Government Gazette, p. 2185 https://gazette.slv.vic.gov.au/images/1879/V/general/86.pdf

This post is not a detailed history of the alienation of this public land by a private organisation but these three excerpts from the newspapers tell the story. 

From The Argus of January 18, 1906  - Caulfield Racecourse - Access for Public and Perambulators - 

Last night a number of residents of Glenhuntly waited on the Caulfield Council, and asked that a gateway, with a swing bar, be placed on the Caulfield racecourse, at the junction of Neerim-road and Queen's avenue, in order to give better access to the railway station, and also, that perambulators would be able to pass through. Mr Devine, who acted as spokesman to the deputation, said that the residents of Glenhuntly had no means of going into the racecourse with perambulators. They were told the racecourse was the property of the people, and yet they were not allowed to go through the gate.

Councillor Lloyd said that he and the mayor and Councillor Wood had waited on the committee of the V.A.T.C, and they had been informed by that body that under no consideration would they open the gate as requested by the deputation, as it was dangerous. The club pointed out it was a more direct route to the station along Queen's avenue than by the way proposed (3). 

A motion at the Council meeting that the VATC be asked to put a turnstile at the location, was carried,  however it was not unanimous as Councillor Lempriere said the V.A.T.C. had spent £43,000 on the course, and had the right to say that the racecourse should be conducted as they thought fit (4).  He apparently didn't understand the concept of public access to public land, or care about women taking their babies out for a walk. 

From The Age, November 4, 1911 -  The Caulfield Racecourse - Original Trust Conditions Evaded - Public Reserve Annexed - 

The revival of the movement to free Caulfield from the associations of the racecourse in that district has led to an investigation of the conditions under which the V.A.T.C. holds the park lands used by the club for racing. It has also led to a resuscitation of local organisations interested in the development of the district, and the transformation of its civic utilities and transit facilities on modern lines. The result of the investigation shows: - 1. That the V.A.T.C. has been permitted by the inertia of the Government and the negligence of certain local governing bodies to acquire a relationship to the Caulfield racecourse, recreation ground and public park which violates both letter and spirit of the Crown grant under which the land was set aside. 2. That were the conditions of the law complied with the V.A.T.C. would be compelled to leave the district, and spend some of its huge reserve funds in the acquisition of another racecourse elsewhere. The land at Caulfield now regarded by most people as the property of the V.A.T.C. committee does not belong to that body at all. It really belongs to the people, whose interests are supposed to be represented by a body of trustees, in whom the Crown has vested the control, subject to the right of the Executive Council to annul, modify or repeal any of those trustees acts........At that time [of the original agreement] the V.A.T.C. was not what it is to-day, and very little fear was entertained that the fifteen days' occupancy would within 23 years be converted into a pseudo-proprietorial interest, or that its influence on the Government of the day and the municipal institutions would be so powerful as to almost ignore the "public recreation ground and public park" character of the reserve (5).

From The Age, October 25, 1913 - Caulfield Racecourse - Serious Social Menace - Filching a Public Reserve -
The few individuals who have laid marauding hands on public property, who have deliberately filched a public recreation ground, have not only done a grave wrong to the district in monopolising public lands, but they have become a downright nuisance.

The article continues -  When the V.A.T.C. was established, over 40 years ago, it was an association of amateur sportsmen who held races, at which they ran their own horses, and rode, jumped, and raced with one another for amusement. The land at that time was thought to be a long way from the city, there was no railway, the scrubby area liable to floods had no particular value; nobody dreamed that the grant of a user of the ground to a small body of horsey enthusiasts would culminate in the creation of a racing proprietary, conducting not amateur races, but the ordinary game of swindling, roping, and sharping that has characterised the turf since the unlucky Charles I gave the first cup for competition on Newmarket Heath. After the "amateurs" had had the use of the land for some years - the public having free access to the place, for it had not been fenced in - the area was dedicated to the public in 1888 as "a racecourse" for fifteen days in the year, and as a "public recreation ground and public park" for the remainder of the year. The prime object of the reservation was to create a public park and recreation ground, portions of which could be used only on certain days by the Victoria Amateur Turf Club for racing purposes. At all other times the course was to be absolutely free to the public.

There is no need to point out how the powers of the V.A.T.C. have extended until they have established virtual ownership of a public recreation ground. Not withstanding the fifteen days as the limit of the club's occupancy, it fenced off a large area for lawn and stands, betting ring, bird cage and saddling paddock, and forbade the public to trespass on these illegally acquired reserves on pain of expulsion. The area so absorbed in defiance of the original grant is being constantly extended. Land is set apart for training tracks. While training is going on the public cannot use the training ground, which is necessarily an extensive territory. The club charges fees for training horses, and imposes regulations on jockeys and trainers using the course that would be considered harsh in the German army. Some of the oldest stagers of the Heath have been brought before the V.A.T.C. committee and fined for offences such as crossing the course on horseback during training hours. Fancy fining a member of the public for going on to public land! What kind of a public spirit is it that calmly yields to such treatment? What influences were at work that bulldozed local bodies and progress associations, and made them submissive tools of the V.A.T.C. in respect of action which under any Government jealous of public rights would have led to prosecution, and in England would have aroused one of those stirring and historic demonstrations against the local land grabber for the maintenance of the right of way. (6).

How does Carlo Catani fit into this story? In 1910, at the request of the Caulfield Council, the  Minister for Lands directed Carlo, who is an expert in designing parks and gardens (7), to report on the Caulfield Racecourse and the issue of public access. This is his report, as published in The Herald, March 17, 1910 - Caulfield Racecourse - Mr Catani's Report - Interesting Recommendations.

"Having examined the Caulfield racecourse and heard the requirements of the Caulfield Council, the trustees, and the residents, I am of the opinion that the reserve cannot be turned into a general recreation ground without impairing its efficiency as a racecourse. So many tracks are required for schooling horses, and the number of horses availing themselves of the reserve is so great, that practically the whole of the reserve is fully utilised, with the exception of the central portion, which includes the lake. This area is fairly large, and could be considerably improved, but owing to the impossibility of planting it with large, shady trees, or erecting thereon a roomy pavilion, the required summer shade will always be wanting, and the place cannot be made into a proper summer resort for the ratepayers. But if kept absolutely free from horse traffic, it would provide a very useful recreation ground for 10 months of the year. I think, however, that a good plantation of tree or a shelter shed, or both, could be provided at the southern end of the reserve. At the northern end the area in front of the public stand is fairly free from intrusion from horses, and could be availed of with a little improvement for the recreation of residents.

The improvements suggested are as follow: -
"(1) The deepening of the lake and the using of the excavated material to level the depressions formed by the promontories and mounds.
"(2) Facing in the margin of the lake with stone, forming little points, bluff, etc., so that the subsidence of the water within the lake in summer time would not mean a reduction of the area of the lake, etc.
"(3) Forming paths, draining, and gravelling them, the path round the lake being the main feature, and the area between the path and the rocks on the water's edge being covered with buffalo grass.
"(4) Formation of land for sports and gatherings.
"(5) Water supply for grass, and stand pipes for drinking taps for the public.
"(6) Formation of flowering beds; also plantation of flowering shrubs, so as to maintain a succession of blooms.

"The financial arrangement, at present arrived at, is that the club should supply the necessary funds for the improvements at the rate of L500 per annum for five years, and that the trustees should do the necessary works and keep them in order. It seemed, however, that it would be in the interests
of all parties to effect substantial improvements at once, so as to have the place made sightly and available for recreation purposes, and to this end I would suggest that the club be requested to advance at once L1125, and to pay in the future on the reduced contribution of L275 per annum. The total
would be the same at the end of five years. If the proposal were adopted I would suggest that the following be carried out at once:—
1. Deepening lake and filling depressions — L350.
2. Facing margin of lake with stone — L300.
3. Forming paths, gravelling, and planting buffalo grass— L250.
4. Forming and planting lawn — L75.
5. Water supply and seats— L100.
6. Clearing and planting south end — L50.
Total outlay — L1125. (8). 

In spite of these clear suggestions from Carlo the VATC decided they would rather spend £500 per annum for five years (9). In December 1911, the Trustees of the land wrote to the Caulfield Council  that it was proposed to carry out, as far as practicable, the scheme propounded by Mr. Catani to beautify the lake, and form the surrounding paths. In 1910, £390 6s 7d., had been expended on improvements, and in 1911, £359 19s 10d. (10).  However, four years later, in July 1914 it was reported that the trustees were endeavouring to carry out Carlo's scheme of improvements (11).  By then, of course, the project should have been nearly complete. The reality was that the VATC simply didn't care about improving public access and public amenities for the local people, even with pressure from community groups. In September 1914, for instance -
The Glenhuntly branch of the A.N.A. is strongly in accord with the motion carried on August 14 by the Caulfield City Progress Association regarding the encroachments on the rights of the public by the trustees of the Caulfield Recreation Reserve, Public Park and Racecourse, and further, the branch desires to support the request to the Minister of Lands asking for an increase in the number of trustees by the election of three public spirited citizens who reside in immediate vicinity of the reserve.(12)

In 1922, due to the demand  for greater public use of the racecourse, the Minister for Lands decided that 10 acres to be permanently reserved on the Neerim road side for use as a public park and gardens. The high fence at present enclosing this area will be removed and re-erected on a line to be defined by the Minister, adjoining the racecourse. The new outer fence adjoining the public road will be sufficient only to protect the hedges and ornamental shrubs (13). This is what is now called Glenhuntly Park (14). At the same time, another four acres was also set aside for recreation. The areas are both shown in the map below.

14 acres of the racecourse grounds were turned over to public use in 1922

The Argus, October 20, 1922 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1849870

Fast forward 100 or so years and what has changed? A 2014 Auditor's General report which examined the effectiveness of the management of the reserve by the trustees found that conflicts of interest have not been adequately managed and preference has been afforded to racing interests with insufficient attention given to use of the reserve for recreational pursuits and as a public park (15). 

In April 2021, a glowing press release from Andrews Labor Government announced that they had launched a plan to transform the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve into a people-friendly community recreation space....Over the next 15 years the reserve will become an increasingly accessible and activated space, supporting diverse uses and events. Access into all reserve areas will be improved and parts of the reserve that currently are not accessible will be opened to the public (16). It appears that  progress still moves at a glacial pace when it comes to the public's right to access their own land on the Caulfield Racecourse site. Children who were just starting school in 2021, can look forward to better access to the Reserve in 2036, when they will be half way through University. 

Trove list - I have created a short list of articles on Carlo's report and public access issues to the Caulfield Racecourse. Access the list here.

Footnotes

(1) Now called the Melbourne Racing Club https://mrc.racing.com/our-club/history
(2) Murray, John R and Wells, John C From sand, swamp and heath...a history of Caulfield (City of Caulfield, 1980), p. 170.
(3) The Argus, January 18, 1906, see here.
(4) Ibid
(5) The Age, November 4, 1911, see here.

(6) The Age, October 25, 1913, see here.

(7) The Argus, March 18, 1910, see here. 

(8) The Herald, March 17, 1910, see here.

(9) Brighton Southern Cross, October 29, 1910, see here.

(10) Brighton Southern Cross, December 9, 1911, see here.

(11) Oakleigh and Caulfield Times, July 25, 1914, see here.

(12) Malvern Courier, September 4, 1914, see here.

(13) The Argus, October 20, 1922, see here. 

(14) For an update of what is happening around the area - City of Glen Eira Caulfield Major Activity Centre Structure Plan, September 2022. Chapter 3.4 Open Space, Public Realm and Landscape https://www.gleneira.vic.gov.au/media/files/Caulfield-Major-Activity-Centre-Structure-Plan.pdf

(15) Doyle, John  - Auditor's General report - Management and Oversight of the Caulfield Racecourse Reserve. Tabled: 17 September 2014, see here.  

(16) Press report - https://www.lilydambrosio.com.au/media-releases/ambitious-strategy-to-transform-caulfield-reserve/   

Carlo Catani meets John Wren

Carlo Catani, met many interesting people during his career at the Public Works Department, including John Wren. John Wren (1871-1953) described variously as a man of integrity or a man with a sleazy reputation; a man who was modest, charitable and concerned with freedom; and a man who observed 'the principles of commercial morality'. John Wren supported Conscription and in August 1915, he enlisted in the A.I.F at the age of 44; he was reported as saying that he regarded it as the duty of every able-bodied man, physically fit, to offer his services if he could do so (1). He also gave £500 to Albert Jacka, the first Australian to be awarded a Victoria Cross in the First World War. Wren was also a supporter of the Catholic Church and Irish Independence (2). Frank Hardy portrayed Wren as John West in his 1950 novel, Power Without Glory. 

This is the story of how Carlo met John Wren. On November 22, 1913 the Richmond Racecourse, owned by John Wren, played host to one of the first motor car racing programmes in Australia. As The Herald reported this new form of sport to Australians has attracted thousands upon thousands in America, on the Continent, and in England, where skill and daring on the part of the drivers have produced thrilling contests. So expert have those engaged on Saturday already proved themselves that stirring racing is assured to those who attend. (3). 

Advertisement for the motor car racing

The Argus, November 19, 1913 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/7281315

Thrills and excitement were promised however as The Age reported -

The danger of serious accidents in such motor car races as are to take place at Richmond racecourse on Saturday next has not escaped the attention of the Chief Secretary. Action is to be taken to minimise the danger, both to the competitors and to the spectators themselves. Yesterday Mr. Murray conferred with Mr. Sainsbury, Chief Commissioner of Police, and Mr. Catani, Chief Engineer for Public Works, with a view to determining what steps should be taken for the proper protection of the public. It was resolved that before permission should be given to conduct the races an inspection of the racecourse should be made by officers of the Public Works department, who should report to the Chief Secretary on the suitability or otherwise of the course for such an event, and the probabilities of danger to the spectators resulting from an accident to the cars. Mr. Catani and other officers will accordingly visit the racecourse to-day, and make a thorough inspection. (4).

What was the result of Mr Catani's inspection? The Herald tell us -

After a thorough Inspection by the officers of the Public Works Department the Richmond racecourse has been officially declared to be as safe and as fast as any track of its size in the world. The Chief Secretary had some doubts about the safety of the great crowd of spectators which is sure to assemble there on Saturday to watch the motor car racing, but Mr C. Catani, the Chief Engineer for Public Works, Mr M'Kenzie an expert officer of the department, and other officials, after seeing Rupert Jeffkins, the American champion, send his 120 h.p. car at world's record speed round the turns have reported favorably. More than that, Mr M'Kenzie timed Jeffkins to go at a 72-mile-an-hour speed skimming the inside rails with a precision that showed that the element of danger was very slight. (5). 

The Argus also reported in a similar manner on the course inspection - 

This was done yesterday morning when Mr C. Catani chief engineer for public works, Mr McKenzie an expert connected with the department and other officials watched Jeffkins the American champion drive his 120 h.p. car at a speed which Mr McKenzie timed as 25 seconds to the circuit. This was equal to 72 miles an hour. Jeffkins kept within a few feet of the inside rails on the turns and so satisfied the officials that they assured Mr Wren that there would not be any interference with the meeting, it being, acknowledged by the officers that a car travelling at a record speed for such a track left ample room for other cars to pace alongside without danger to the drivers of the spectators. (6).

Mr McKenzie would have been in his element at the safety trial. Duncan McKenzie was an Architect in the Public Works Department but was also one of the first men in Melbourne to own and drive a motor car, and he maintained an interest in motoring and cycling throughout his life (7). 

The races went ahead with a nineteen event programme, the headline attraction being between a three-heat match between the American, Rupert Jeffkins (8) and the Australian, Dug Campbell (9). The winner was to take home £1000.

Sadly, the day turned out to be a bit of  a fizzer, as The Argus reported -

Those who visited the Richmond racecourse on Saturday afternoon were disappointed at the display of motor racing, even though most of it was faster than that provided by the ponies. Those who went to see the racing in a state of half-pleasurable anticipation of an accident - and nearly every one of the 10,000 who attended regarded an accident as more than possible- were agreeably disappointed. Had the cars been driven at their top speed the sharp turn on the northern end of the track would have made accidents inevitable. Along the straight the heavily-engined cars were opened out, but the turns forced reduction in the speed. In one of the races, the visiting American driver, Jeffkins, declared that he had reached 68½ miles an hour, but the recorded time for the two miles was 3min. 1½sec., or a little under 40 miles an hour. The cars had no sooner got up speed in the straight than they had to slow down at the turn. Even nimble-footed ponies find it difficult to negotiate the turn at the northern end, and as the cars rounded this dangerous corner they threw up the cinders in showers against the outer fence as their back wheels skidded. (10).

Rupert Jeffkins, leading Dug Campbell at the Richmond racecourse

The Leader, November 29, 1913 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198377664

In the battle between Jeffkins and Campbell - 

Then came the great event of the day, but by no means the best race, the match between R. Jeffkins and Campbell for £1,000 aside. Owing to a misunderstanding Jeffkins stopped, after leading Campbell for three laps, having mistaken the last lap flag for the winning signal. Campbell, who started at 2 to 1 against, completed the course and won.... The second heat of the match race between Jeffkins and Campbell was won by Jeffkins rather easily. Heavy rain then fell and the track was pretty well soaked, and at the suggestion of Inspector Britt and Mr. D.Mackenzie (of the Public Works department)

the final of the Jeffkins Campbell race was postponed. These gentlemen declared that the track, while safe enough for high speeds when dry, would be dangerous in the state in which the rain left it, and Mr J. Wren, after some demur, accepted their decision (11). 

Did Carlo attend the Motor Car racing at Richmond on November 22, 1913?  Given that his colleague, Duncan MacKenzie was present,  it is highly likely Carlo would also there, and possibly his sons, Enrico and Ettore, to witness the display of  nerve, pluck, skill, backed by mechanical power, expert construction and speed (12). 

Trove list - a very short list of articles, relating to the motor car race, held November 22, 1913, and the role of Carlo Catani in inspecting the course, can be accessed here.

Footnotes

(1) Weekly Times, August 14, 1915, see here.

(2) Australian Dictionary of Biography entry by James Griffin 

https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wren-john-9198 

(3) The Herald, November 19, 1913, see here.

(4) The Age, November 18, 1913, see here.

(5) The Herald, November 19, 1913, see here.

(6) The Argus, November 19, 1913, see here.

(7) The Age, April 16, 1938, see here.

(8) Rupert Jeffkins - photo and a  list of his achievements The Herald, November 19, 1913, see here.

(9) Dug Campbell  - short biography - Table Talk, November 20, 1913, see here.

(10) The Argus, November 24, 1913, see here.

(11) Ibid

(12) The Argus, November 19, 1913, see here.