The 50-Year-Old Queenslander Who Cycled 2,250 Miles for the King!
Imagine being 50 years old, climbing onto your bicycle in Cairns and saying…
“Righto - Canberra. I’ll ride there.”
That was essentially what Queensland cycling legend Les Cecil did in 1951.
And this wasn't a leisurely cycling holiday with sealed roads, bike lanes and a café every 10 kilometres!
As part of Australia's Commonwealth Jubilee celebrations, marking 50 years since Federation, Cecil set off from Cairns on an extraordinary journey to Canberra.
His route covered approximately 2,250 miles - about 3,620 kilometres - across some of the roughest roads in Queensland and New South Wales.
And he wasn't simply riding for the challenge.
He was carrying messages of loyalty to the Crown.
As Cecil travelled south, he collected messages of goodwill and loyalty to King George VI from communities along the route.
By the time he reached Canberra, he had gathered an incredible 100,000 messages!
But there was a slight problem…
How do you carry 100,000 messages on a bicycle?
Fortunately, Les wasn't expected to strap them all to the handlebars!
Two 3-ton Army trucks accompanied him, carrying the bulky messages, bicycle spare parts and a two-way wireless transceiver. Two trained signal sergeants from the 51st Battalion also travelled with the expedition.
And the journey was anything but easy.
Near Cardwell, Cecil rode 40 miles of deeply corrugated road against strong headwinds. The corrugations were reportedly so deep that his pedals were actually touching the ground!
He also encountered flooded creeks and, in North Queensland, insisted on personally carrying his bicycle across creeks.
The Army trucks didn't always have an easier time either — both 3-ton trucks were disabled on the rough bush track.
And then there were the snakes.
Between Bundaberg and Childers, a 5-foot black snake tangled itself in Cecil's pedals, forcing him to kick it free.
Earlier, between Cairns and Townsville, he also had to stop and wait while a huge rock python crossed the highway.
And apparently Queensland wildlife wasn't finished with him…
Between Woodstock and Giru, Cecil was briefly paced by a Hereford bull, which eventually veered across his front wheel and nearly caused an accident!
After about 30 days and 2,250 miles, Cecil finally reached Canberra on 8 May 1951.
The final section was particularly tough. Between Mittagong and Canberra he battled 40-mph crosswinds, yet still managed to sprint the final 14 miles in just 41 minutes, accompanied by a police escort.
There was just one problem…
He arrived 30 minutes too late for the official ceremony.
The other three Jubilee cyclists had already gathered to present the messages to Prime Minister Robert Menzies.
But Les had still completed an extraordinary mission — faithfully bringing around 100,000 messages from people along his route to the nation's capital.
And then came one of the best parts of the story…
The following day, Cecil flew back to Brisbane.
And what did this legendary cyclist do when he got home?
He started mowing his lawn!
A contemporary Daily Mercury report of 10 May 1951 recorded that the day after finishing his 2,400-mile ride, Cecil came home to Brisbane by plane and began mowing the lawn - although he planned to take a week's rest after his strenuous journey.
The Jubilee ride was actually a much bigger national event.
Four main cyclists travelled from different parts of Australia - from Darwin, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne - helping deliver approximately 300,000 messages of loyalty to Prime Minister Menzies in Canberra.
Les Cecil was the Queensland rider, setting off from Cairns on 9 April 1951 and collecting around 100,000 messages along his route.
And remember - this was 1951.
No GPS. No mobile phone. No Lycra-clad support crew in a modern van.
Just a bicycle, two Army trucks, a wireless set, some seriously rough roads - and a 50-year-old Queenslander determined to get to Canberra.
What an incredible journey!
Historical note: contemporary newspaper reporting gives tℎe distance as 2,400 miles, wℎile tℎe detailed ℎistorical account gives approximately 2,250 miles. We ℎave used approximately 2,250 miles.
More information on Les and his bicycle can be found here: https://ehive.com/collections/204080/objects/1874253/leslie-cecil-les-bicycle
A big thank you to Deb Frances for suggesting this fascinating story!
Your suggestion sent us down another wonderful Queensland history rabbit hole - and what a story we discovered!
We really appreciate you helping us uncover these forgotten stories from our past.
A note on our visuals: To help bring this story to life, we've used an artistic illustration. While we've aimed for historical accuracy, it may contain errors or artistic interpretation. It is used solely for educational, non-commercial history storytelling.
