Laurie Duncan, a lifetime shearer who successfully trained greyhounds as a hobby for over 40 years, has died, aged 77.
Duncan has suffered from fibrosis of the lungs in recent years but son Matt, also a greyhound trainer, said: "It got too much for him and he passed away at home, in the tiny western NSW town of Euchareena, on December 27.''
I first met Laurie Duncan when he was training the smart sprinter Loose My Number, and he chastised me for mis-pronouncing the greyhound's name when I was co-hosting the old 2KY racing programme, Going Greyhounds.
When Laurie told me the correct pronunciation was Lose My Number, I explained that the spelling of the dog's name indicated it should be Loose My Number.
Laurie's quick reply was: "Well I'm a shearer, not a speller.''
Son of Matt said: "Yep, that's exactly what I can imagine he would have said.''
Although Loose My Number won several races at Wentworth Park, Laurie Duncan's best greyhound was Clair Maude, a daughter of the trainer's good race bitch I'll Get By.
Clair Maude won a string of races in NSW in 2007 before being sent to ace Victorian trainer Jason Thompson, for whom she made an Australian Cup final and ran record times at The Meadows and Ballarat.
Clair Maude was retired after winning 19 races in 2007 and 2008.
Matt Duncan said: "Dad was born and grew up in Sydney, at Auburn, but when he was 16 he moved to Euchareena where he worked odd jobs on farms before becoming a shearer at places like Cooma, Warren and Coonamble.''
Laurie Duncan is survived by wife Kay, son Matt and daughters Colleen and Hayley.
GRNSW wishes to extend sincere condolences to the family and many friends of the late Laurie Duncan.
