Professor David Robert Hutchins (“Prof”) OAM BVSc, Hon DVSc, FANZCVS

Professor David Robert Hutchins (“Prof”) OAM BVSc, Hon DVSc, FANZCVS

Featured Image: Frontispiece of the Memorial Service Brochure @ Kingston Town Room (Level 4), Queen Elizabeth II Stand, Royal Randwick Racecourse, Friday 27th September 2019

“A Celebration of an Exceptional Life”: “Prof” Dave Hutchins

It was an epic on a herculean scale. The setting was perfect and the hospitality exquisite. Who would have expected any less? Dr Treve Williams was the erudite ever-sartorial eloquent Master of Ceremonies; perfectly cast for the role. Treve was very much on home turf only marginally handicapped by recent bilateral knee replacement surgery. It didn’t stop him performing his duties as perfect gentleman. Treve paid colossal tribute to the enormous contribution made by “Prof” to the Randwick Equine Centre (REC) following forced age-related retirement from his academic position(s). It set the scene. Daughter Mrs Hellen House and grandson Mr Lachlan House followed with passionately emotive encomiums to their respectively much beloved father and grandfather. Treve had to apply the ‘rearing bit’ to both Dr Meg Brownlow and Dr Eileen Rogan who waxed eloquently on their association with “Prof” as his ‘special girl interns’ at the Rural Veterinary Centre, Camden. His exceptional professional qualities and finely honed skills made an enormous impression on both and by default almost everyone else in the room. Current EVA President Dr Sam Nugent delivered a succinct account of “Prof’s” mammoth contribution to the Equine Veterinary Profession in Australia and elsewhere. I counted many Past Presidents of the AEVA/EVA. My main problem was putting names to faces in so many cases! It was both an honour and privilege to be there.

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Judge John Connors

Judge John Connors

Featured Image: Sunil Sharma, John Connors and Christopher Pryde at the ‘Learned Friends Professional Education Seminar in Suva, Fiji in 2015

I thought I had covered the field in ‘eminences haute’ having lived in ‘Geraldton’? I may have missed Number 1 in High Court Justice John Connors. Sarah and I purchased ‘Geraldton’ from John and Diane Connors in 1993. John’s professional career spiralled upwards and onwards from there. He had been a partner in Fitzgerald White Talbot Lawyers, Muswellbrook; itself having a long association with the property through Geraldine Fitzgerald of ‘Hennor’, Muswellbrook later Mrs J A K Shaw.

Perhaps I should raise my game?

Ex-Judge Gets New Appointment

https://fijisun.com.fj/2009/09/16/ex-judge-gets-new-appointment/

Fiji News 16 September 2009 12:00pm

Written by Sun Fiji Newsroom:

Former High Court Justice John Connors was yesterday appointed Commissioner for the Independent Legal Services Commission.

Justice Connors’ appointment, together with former Fiji Law Society secretary Afrana Nisha as the Commission secretary, was announced yesterday by Attorney General Aiyez Sayad-Khaiyum.

Mr Sayad-Khaiyum said the appointment was historic as lawyers in Fiji wold now be subject to scrutiny by an independent body.

He said those with complaints against members of the legal fraternity had the option of filing their grievances with the Chief Registrar or directly approaching the Commission.

Postscript:

Dungog Shire Council:

Dungog Jockey Club & Race Track

Dungog Jockey Club & Race Track

Featured Image: The grandstand at the Dungog Race Club track taken from the website below.

The Wirragulla Polo Club hosted an outstanding carnival at its home ground, Jock and Jenni Mackay’s ‘Tabbil’ Creek, Dungog on the week end Saturday 14/Sunday 15 September 2019.

https://www.facebook.com/Wirragulla-Polo-Club-452091834877759/

My spouse Sarah presented the inaugural ‘Panzer Trophy’ for the champion C-Grade pony in honour of her late father Bob Mackay and his champion polo pony and sire. This was a genuine ‘home-coming’ for Sarah who was raised initially at Tabbil Creek.

https://sconevetdynasty.com.au/panzer-foundation-sire/

It tweaked my fervent interest that the same ground also hosted the Dungog Jockey Cub Races during the later 1890s and throughout the first few decades of the 1900s. ‘Mine host’ was the inaugural pioneer John Kenneth Mackay and the next generation eponymous J K Mackay who passed away in 1949. I discovered an excellent heritage resume on a NSW government website:

https://www.dungog.nsw.gov.au/sites/dungog/files/public/34.%20Grandstand%20Racetrack%20and%20Polo%20Fielda.pdf

This describes it all in some detail. I have plagiarized one of the photographs in my ‘Featured Image”; which I am wont to do.

Further references to Dungog Races are found in the trove reports:

Dungog Jockey Club 29 December 1894

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/14011279

Dungog Jockey Club 16 December 1890

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/13799584

Jack Chegwyn’s XI @ Scone 1957

Jack Chegwyn’s XI @ Scone 1957

Featured Image: ‘Invincible’ Arthur Morris was one of the many elite Test players in the Chegwyn XI. ‘Demon tweaker’ local dairy farmer John Murray  bowled him ’round his legs’ on Day 2 (Sunday). How do I know? Because John told me; that’s how. Eric Hollies bowled a similar ball to Don Bradman in 1948 but couldn’t sneak one past Arthur Morris?

Towards the end of the 1956-57 cricket season Jack Chegwyn brought his country touring team to Scone.

Chegwyn was a former Randwick and NSW State player who later became Chairman of the NSWCA Country Committee and a NSW State selector. He was “cricket’s standard bearer in the bush” and for more than forty years he took his “star-studded teams” that included State and Test Players into the country to play against the locals.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Chegwyn

See also: https://sconevetdynasty.com.au/chegwyn-match-september-1978 

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Brian Russell Relocates

Brian Russell Relocates 

Featured Image:

Photographed farewelling Brian Russell at Merton Aged Care Village, back row Dawn Charlton, Lesley Moore, Alison Hordern and  Shirley Nebaur, front – Bill McKenzie, Brian Russell and Robert Lewis

See also: https://sconevetdynasty.com.au/brian-russell/

Brian Russell, 58 Pecks Road, North Richmond NSW 2754

Phone (02) 4571 3537 Email brianrussell67@bigpond.com  AUGUST 27 2019

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