Gippsland trots stalwart Roly Thompson died last Monday after a battle with illness, a fortnight short of his 91st birthday.
Roly was a friend to all in local harness racing and had an active involvement in the sport in Gippsland for many years.
I last saw Roly about four weeks ago when I visited him to find out more about his interest and involvement in trotting - that day he told me that "harness racing saved his life", as it gave him something to focus on after his wife passed away in the early 1980s.
Roly became involved in the Latrobe Valley (Traralgon) Trotting Club when introduced to the sport by club committeeman Max McMahon. Roly later served as a committeeman at the club, trained as a club steward, and also worked as timekeeper at the Traralgon gallops meetings.
As an active volunteer with Traralgon, he spent many hours assisting with track preparation and attending state meetings with then President Stan Bonighton in an effort to improve the fortunes of trotting in the Latrobe Valley, and experienced many frustrations as the eastern outpost battled for survival.
Roly also related that Bonighton used to get him "to find the bloke who had travelled the furthest with a horse, and bring him upstairs for a cup of tea and a sandwich" as a small token of appreciation for those who often travelled hundreds of kilometres to compete at Traralgon.
After Traralgon did fold in the mid 1990s Roly continued to work as a Club Steward at local trots meetings and trials - his support of Warragul saw him awarded a Life Membership of the Warragul and District Light Harness Club over a decade ago.
He also arranged, without the desire for recognition, that the Traralgon Pacing Cup trophy be paid for each year to keep the memory of that chapter of harness racing alive.
Roly later moved from Morwell to Carrum Downs with his partner Bev, but continued to attend trots meetings at Warragul and Cranbourne, and also travelled the state for many years catching up with friends at the trots, particularly in the members' at Moonee Valley and at the Mildura Cup Carnival.
He was particularly proud of the fact that he and Bev once attended every Victorian Country Cup meeting in a single season, such was their interest in harness racing.
