Legendary Riverina harness racing caller Allan Hull has called time on his 50-year career, but says he's fortunate to have spent every working minute doing something he loves.
Hull, who turns 70 this year, officiated this week for the final time at his hometown Wagga Wagga trotting track, but says race-calling never really felt like work at all.
"It really didn't. It was my passion and every race is a different story," Hull said.
"When I was young, I always wanted to be a sports commentator. I would listen to Alan McGilvray on the ABC (a cricketer who became the doyen of Australian cricket commentators)," he said.
"There were no radios back then and I had a crystal set. I worked out that if I attached the alligator clip on the end of the wire to a tin roof at home, the reception would be much better. I would listen to the cricket being broadcast from England until about 2 or 3am.
"I did also tune in to the races and my favorite pin-up jockey was Geoff 'the golden boy' Lane. I had a scrapbook of race story clippings because the Weekly Times use to do a two-page spread each week," he said.
His passion for sport resulted in Hull starting to call trots trials at Wagga when he was just 17 or 18.
"I was a bit keen to get involved and the guy who was running them was a family friend in Max Croker," he said.
"I jokingly told Max that I'd do a better job than the bloke they had…and that was indeed true because at the time they had no-one doing it! I got to call the trials using a portable PA and microphone with about 20 to 30 people attending.
"Then not long after I was asked if I'd do the Henty Show trots. Back then show trots were huge–all the trainers just loved them. I called four events and that was my first paid gig when I was 19 years old."
Hull instantly loved the art and challenge of race calling – and his career took off from there.
"I got a lucky break when Tex Condron, who was calling trots at Wagga, Junee and Leeton, was wanting to shift his focus more into training his own horses," he said.
"So I took over from Tex and started calling at Wagga Wagga on November 20, 1970. I was the on-course commentator and also got paid for doing it on radio because it was relayed on 2WG. I recall later doing the Leeton Breeders' Plate on New Year's Day, 1971. That was big!"
But race calling was never a full-time gig because there weren't enough meetings, Hull said.
"After I'd finished my Intermediate certificate at Wagga High School in 1965, my father told me to go and get a trade–I left school on the Friday and started a fitter and machinist apprenticeship on the Monday," he said.
"I was there for seven years, working my way up to foreman in the machine shop and one of my brothers also worked there as a boilermaker."
Hull also started calling Aussie rules football in the 1970s for a local radio station, and did this for 25 years.
"I ended up a sales rep because the manager heard me calling the trots and football on radio and offered me a job. So for most of my life I sold advertising for radio and television."
Hull also began calling the gallops, doing his first few meetings at outlying areas such Hay, Griffith and Berrigan.
Ted Ryder, regarded as a sporting icon in the town, was the caller at Wagga and Albury meetings, but Hull eventually took over from Ryder, calling his first Wagga Gold Cup in 1979.
Allan Hull (centre) was presented with a plaque by Wagga CEO Graeme White (left) and club president Terry McMillan (Wagga HRC)
He went on to call the Murrumbidgee Turf Club's feature event for 40 consecutive years, appropriately being dubbed along the way as "the golden voice of the Riverina".
Hull said preparing for meetings depended on how many visiting horses were competing and working on their form.
"If it's a Wagga trots meeting and I'm familiar with most of them, it may take one and a half hours. But if it's the Wagga Gold Cup gallops carnival over two days, 100 out of the 180 horses might be visitors so I'll take three to four hours doing the form for each day," he said.
"I remember colors and names on a race to race basis. You get to know how a particular jockey sits on and if they are left or right-handed and that helps.
"I think calling races is really a God-given gift. It's not something that's a natural thing, and it's one of those things that's difficult to do unless you have the knack.
Hull is well-known for his two quirky terms of "the gates craaaaaash back" and "they hit the l-iiiiiiiiiiine…".
"I guess my love for theatre also comes out a bit, because I've been involved in a few musicals over the years!" he said.
"I always thought of three things: to be accurate, articulate and entertaining.
"But if you have ever stood next to the barrier stalls, the gates do crash back. And as far as the other 'and they hit the l-iiiiiiiiine'…well, I'm buying time of a second or two to work out who has won! I only say that if it's a tight photo finish.
"But I'll always have a go at calling the winner in a photo — you just have to, I think. If I don't get it right, that's not a blue in my book. But if I call the wrong horse or the wrong colors, well that's different. If a panel beater makes a mistake, they can hide it with a spray can. We have to wear it!"
Hull said he admired Matt Hill and now retired caller Greg Miles.
"Those guys were terrific when calling races with big stables like Godolpin having multiple runners with the same colors, except for perhaps slightly different colored caps. That's when our business can get really difficult," he said.
Hull said among his race-calling highlights were calling four InterDominion finals on radio.
"They were at Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and New Zealand and InterDominions were huge events. It was for 2WG and I also provided them with snippets and other regional radio stations also picked it up, so they were definitely memorable," he said.
Hull will call his last meeting at Albury trots on January 31, although he added that he will probably "help out" at a few non-TAB meetings over the next six months as he winds down.
Hull and his wife Gayle have two children in Stephanie, a teacher; and Quentin, a longtime ABC sports broadcaster, who both live in Brisbane, and four grandchildren.
"The time has flown, I've importantly enjoyed good health, and I wouldn't have had it any other way–it's been awesome," he said.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura