Joan Margaret Richmond
1905 – 1999

Following her fifth place in the 1931 Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island in Victoria, Joan, with two friends, accompanying passengers and a chaperone, drove for five months in three Riley cars from Melbourne to Palermo in Sicily to start in the Monte Carlo Rally. Her graphic description of this trip, given the travel conditions of the day, almost defies comprehension .On arrival in England, Victor Riley offered her a drive with Elsie Wisdom in a 1000-mile race at Brooklands, the mecca of motor sport. They won it!
Over an eight year period, she competed throughout Europe in many makes of car with great success. Riley, Singer, Triumph, MG, AC, Fiat and HRG to name a few. She competed in seven Monte Carlo Rallies, also RAC Rallies, Rallies of the Alps, and on road and hill climb circuits such as Brooklands,
Le Mans, Donington, Shelsley Walsh and others.

The stories she tells of personalities she met and knew, her travelling experiences, motor sport events and life in general, all make absorbing reading. Her contribution to the war effort in England is also noteworthy.
The result of personal tragedies remained with her after she returned to Melbourne in 1946 at the age of 41. She led a reclusive but busy life, working with animals as a volunteer veterinary nurse, and became heavily involved in the movement that ended the inhumane slaughter of animals.
The book also briefly traces the family history following her grandfather's arrival in Victoria from Scotland in 1851. Accumulated wealth, property ownership city and rural, the hectic Melbourne social scene, were all part of her upbringing. At the age of eleven her father died, the wealth vaporised, and Joan, a self-confessed 'tomboy', rode as a jockey in horse racing until she was banned as a female. Her entry in to motor sport followed.
This is a wonderful read, not just on motor sport, but life and experiences in a different era, far from home, by a very determined young lady revolving around her chosen sport.
Research indicates she was Australia's first professional racing driver, male or female, although the word 'sponsored' was used in that period.
Perhaps now, with her life story told in her own words for the first time, she will finally receive the recognition she so thoroughly deserves.

Joan Richmond 1st Editon Now Available 

Hard Cover 255 Pages 91 Photographs

$45.00 AUD Plus Postage

To find out more visit

www.joanrichmond.com