Born at Waitara, Hoskins grew up in New Zealand, where he left school at thirteen and worked on a farm, before becoming a postman. He next decided to try his luck in Australia, working as a telegraph operator at Wagga Wagga, then moving on to Sydney. After running low on funds in Sydney, Hoskins got on a train with enough money to get him as far as West Maitland. When he arrived there, he met some friends who helped him to set up a charity sports programme, including boxing and street stalls, which he ran with some success. He was elected Charity Carnival organiser for the LocalHunter River Agricultural Horticultural Society, when the secretary resigned, so Hoskins took on his position, too.
First speedway meeting
At that time regular fund raising Carnivals were staged on the Maitland Showground by various bodies. As a keen motorcycling enthusiast, Hoskins tried to convince the Agricultural Horticultural Society committee to allow motorcycle races around the showground's trotting track.
On 1 December 1923, the following notice appeared in the local newspaper, the Maitland Daily Mercury: In his capacity as Secretary to the Local Hunter River Agricultural Horticultural Society, Hoskins organised a sports charity carnival called the Electric Light Carnival, staged on the Maitland Showground on 15 December 1923, to benefit the local orphanages as well as the Local Hunter River Agricultural Horticultural Society. The programme of events staged that night consisted of horse races, including trotting, cycling events, athletics, and motorcycle racing. This was the first time motorcycle racing had been staged at the venue, and this date is widely recognised as the day on which motorcycle speedway in its current form was born. Hoskins ran speedway at Maitland for two years and then moved on to Newcastle in New South Wales.
Newcastle, Sydney and Claremont
In 1925, Hoskins intensified his motorcycle speedway racing career when he became Secretary of the promotional Newcastle Speedway Company Ltd., based at Newcastle. He also promoted speedway at the Sydney Showground during the first season of racing there in 1926–1927, but a very wet summer made the venture a flop and almost bankrupted Hoskins. He then moved on to Western Australia, where in 1927 he began promoting sports events at the Claremont Showground near Perth. Within a month he had made almost £1,000, an amount which for most people at that time was several years' income.
In 1928, Hoskins decided to try promoting speedway in the United Kingdom. He set sail on the Oronsay, arriving in England without the use of a suitable track.
Wembley
, the chairman of Wembley Stadium, a well-known national sports venue, asked Hoskins to promote speedway at Wembley in the 1929 season. He accepted, and the Wembley Lions team was born.
Hoskins promoted or co-promoted many clubs and was a real force in British speedway. His last such involvement was with the Canterbury Crusaders, which he founded in 1968 at the age of seventy-five, continuing for another ten years. He died in 1987, at the age of ninety-four. During his long career Hoskins was connected with:
In the 1979 New Year Honours list, Hoskins was appointed MBE for services to speedway, and he received the badge of the order at an investiture on 27 February 1979.
