John H Payne |
Born in Hurstville Grove, in Sydney, before spending a short time post WWll in Herne Bay (now Riverwood) in converted hospital barracks, then growing up in a Housing Commission home in Kingsgrove, where he attended Kingsgrove school, he finished his education at Hurstville Technical School, leaving before his fifteenth birthday, taking up a position as a clerk with a Sydney-based Insurance Company, where he was fortunate enough to meet his lifetime partner, Joan, later becoming the proud parents of three truly wonderful, independent, successful and firm but fair children, now all in their 50’s. |
Both his grandfathers, being small-time week-end punters, and his father, a small-time SP book-maker, unknowingly nurtured his interest in horse-racing, with his first childhood racing memory being that of seeing the 1950 Breeders Plate winner, Lloric being beaten at Randwick, and, soon after, up close and personal, in the “flat” enclosure, witnessing Mr Jack Booshand’s Carioca, in red with a white sash and blue cap, ridden by Billy Cook, running down the red, white and black of Mr William’s previous years W S Cox Plate winner, Hydrogen (ridden by the ill-fated Neville Sellwood) - on which he had invested two shillings (20c) - in an exciting finish to The Metropolitan at Randwick in 1953, shortly before Carioca annexed the Sydney Cup. He saw firstly, Todman race, then Tulloch beating Todman in the Sires Produce Stakes at Randwick, and later, witnessed Grand Print easily beat River Seine the 1962 Sydney Cup.
Soon after witnessing Polo Prince win the Melbourne Cup in 1964, he relocated for a few years to Inverell, before moving to Orange, as an Insurance Loss Adjuster. He witnessed Ron Quinton get up on Marauding (5/1) in the 1987 Golden Slipper at Rosehill, in which Lygon Arms (33/1) and Boasting (200/1) were very narrowly beaten, with “Chicken Kings”, the Ingham brothers, boasting a share in all three place-getters, and with Mrs Jack Ingham snaring the trifecta, which paid a “motza”.
He later managed a small licensed sporting club in Orange, during which time, he resumed his previous involvement with greyhound racing, successfully training the winner of the 1990 Christmas Gift at Wentworth Park, with True Blue Tah, raced by members of the club.
In 2009, he was lucky enough to see Viewed, which the previous year had supplied maestro trainer, Bart Cummings with his 11th and final Melbourne Cup, beat his stable-mate, Roman Emperor in the Caulfield Cup, and the following week, witness So You Think in the same colours as Viewed, lead all the way to easily take out the first of his two W S Cox Plates, ridden by Glen Boss.
Following his retirement, during a trip to Caulfield, he was astounded to see a memorial to “fallen jockeys”, listing one jockey who was still very much alive, and several hundreds missing altogether from the memorial. Shortly afterwards, he pledged to do what justice he could to the fallen, and to write a comprehensive testimony to honour all of the riders killed in horse-racing activities, and to record what he saw as a valuable contribution to the history of racing in Australia, and indeed, to Australia’s history.
After years of exhaustive research, ably assisted by many others, Their Last Ride is his testimony.
Soon after witnessing Polo Prince win the Melbourne Cup in 1964, he relocated for a few years to Inverell, before moving to Orange, as an Insurance Loss Adjuster. He witnessed Ron Quinton get up on Marauding (5/1) in the 1987 Golden Slipper at Rosehill, in which Lygon Arms (33/1) and Boasting (200/1) were very narrowly beaten, with “Chicken Kings”, the Ingham brothers, boasting a share in all three place-getters, and with Mrs Jack Ingham snaring the trifecta, which paid a “motza”.
He later managed a small licensed sporting club in Orange, during which time, he resumed his previous involvement with greyhound racing, successfully training the winner of the 1990 Christmas Gift at Wentworth Park, with True Blue Tah, raced by members of the club.
In 2009, he was lucky enough to see Viewed, which the previous year had supplied maestro trainer, Bart Cummings with his 11th and final Melbourne Cup, beat his stable-mate, Roman Emperor in the Caulfield Cup, and the following week, witness So You Think in the same colours as Viewed, lead all the way to easily take out the first of his two W S Cox Plates, ridden by Glen Boss.
Following his retirement, during a trip to Caulfield, he was astounded to see a memorial to “fallen jockeys”, listing one jockey who was still very much alive, and several hundreds missing altogether from the memorial. Shortly afterwards, he pledged to do what justice he could to the fallen, and to write a comprehensive testimony to honour all of the riders killed in horse-racing activities, and to record what he saw as a valuable contribution to the history of racing in Australia, and indeed, to Australia’s history.
After years of exhaustive research, ably assisted by many others, Their Last Ride is his testimony.