A. J. Hunting papers

A. J. Hunting (1883-1946) was born Albert John Schulze on September 9th 1883 in Ballarat and spent his childhood in various locations around Victoria. In 1909 he married Ethel Mary Smith and settled in Wangaratta where they had a poultry farm and bakery. Together they had five children. During World War One the Schulze family changed their surname to Hunting. In 1919 the family relocated to Sydney where Hunting initially operated a profitable business manufacturing cardboard fillings for Christmas stockings. He became involved in speedway in 1923, establishing a track at Maroubra and registering the company Olympia Motor Speedways. In 1925 the Hunting family moved to Brisbane where Albert Hunting commercialised and promoted speedway at tracks such as the Exhibition Ground and Davis Park in West End, contributing to it becoming one of the most popular sports during that era. In 1928 Hunting took a team of riders to England where he continued to pioneer and develop speedway. Between 1928 and 1931, he continued to do so in Europe and South America. During the 1930s Hunting continued his involvement in speedway, but also registered numerous businesses to varying success. His ventures included one day cricket, a recreation park at Windsor and night golf. During World War Two he made many attempts to have his inventions and patents approved by the Australian military, most notably a flame thrower, and his 'cooling crystals', which later found application in the dairy industry. In 1943 the family moved to Brookfield on the outskirts of Brisbane. A. J. Hunting died suddenly while on business in Melbourne in 1946.