8 Visitors to Flemington may be familiar with the huge ‘History of Racing’ mural by artist Harold Freedman in the Hill Stand. Where Freedman first made his mark, however, was with his work as an official war artist with the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. Flemington’s largest artwork, unique on Australian racecourses, is the sevenpanel mural in the public Hill Stand. ‘The History of Racing’ was devised and painted by Harold Freedman OAM (1915–1999) and his Melbourne Mural Studio. The densely detailed series, on panels attached to the long, sloping interior ceilings, was installed progressively from the mid 1980s, completed to mark the Australian Bicentenary in 1988. Together, the panels create a visual chronicle of the origins of racing, and then follow the story across Australia since the first horses reached this continent in 1788. Equine and human heroes, famous races and racecourses, historic moments, triumphs and disasters, international references are covered. The saga of Flemington and the Melbourne Cup runs centrally across the panels. When the VRC commissioned these works, Freedman was nearing the end of his professional career, having been Victoria’s official State Artist from HAROLD FREEDMAN Official RAAF War Artist BY ANDREW LEMON
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