Bruce Fletcher, who trained the 1987 NSW Greyhound of the Year Sonic Wave and was a GRNSW board member and National Coursing Association committeeman, died on Saturday, aged 79.
He was born into the sport as his father Percy Fletcher was a club official and a successful trainer, who won the group one National Derby in 1970 with Arthur's Desire.
Ironically Bruce did not intend following in his father's footsteps until 1962 when his father, while exercising his greyhounds, was knocked down by a hit-and-run driver.
Percy had been training greyhounds from the family home in Yagoona since 1951 so when he was hospitalised Bruce had to pick up the lead and collar.
He once told me: "I had been walking the dogs since I was five but had never put one in the boxes and handlers' licences were unheard of in those days.
"So at 16 I had to take dad's bitch Jill's Desire to Beaumont Park, Newcastle, getting her on a train to Strathfield, then another to Newcastle, where we took a taxi to the track.
"Jill's Desire led to the last hop but was run down by a top notch bitch called That's Sunny.''
In 1967 Bruce Fletcher married Julie Rudd, the daughter of outstanding trainer Ron Rudd, who prepared the great all distance performer Cabernet.
At the same time he took out a bookmaker's licence, launching his career a Newcastle and Lithgow tracks.
Bruce and Julie Fletcher were also enjoying success as trainers, and were rarely without a top notcher.
In 1986 their dog Pacific Seagull was a NSW Greyhound of the Year finalist alongside Snow Report, Legendary Kid and the winner, Camden's Ghost.
The Fletchers annexed that prize award 12 months later with Sonic Wave, who had been suspended for marring in Victoria when she came to their kennels.
But she won 11 of 14 races for Bruce and Julie, and was unbeaten in six starts at Harold Park.
Sonic Wave won the 1987 Summer Cup, a race the Fletchers captured in 1995 with the versatile Ultra Desire, who was a finalist in Dallas Man's 1995 National Derby.
Other top class greyhounds to pass through the Fletcher kennels were Belford Jones, who won the last Silver Bullet held at Beaumont Park, Waverly's Desire, who won seven of 14 WP races and Thai Flame, winner of the Gosford and Dapto Cup finals.
More recently Bruce Fletcher trained Ultimate Wish, Bond, who ran record time winning the 2005 Sandown Shootout, and the Bulli specialist Magnifique, successful in 28 of 61 appearances.
Bruce Fletcher is survived by his wife Julie, daughter Lauren and his sister Jill Fletcher, herself an accomplished trainer whose bitch National Lee was a former Harold Park 720m record holder.
GRNSW wishes to extend its condolences to the family and friends of the late Bruce Fletcher
