Ray Warren, John Tapp, Gary Wilson, the late Ray Conroy and Paul Ambrosoli.
This week we’re flashing back forty two years to the Channel 7 studios in Sydney.
The occasion was the taping of a special episode of the popular programme “This Is Your Life” hosted by the eminently talented Roger Climpson.
The guest of honour was the remarkable Gary Wilson who’d been rendered quadriplegic when he swallowed a dummy as a small baby. Gary’s love of greyhound racing and a dynamic personality saw him become a very popular figure in the sport.
At one time his greyhound tips were featured in the Sydney press and he was a regular on 2KY programmes.
His profile soared to dizzy heights when he became the owner of Woolley Wilson, a tough and hardy sprinter in the early to mid seventies.
Woolley Wilson raced 73 times for 36 wins and 22 placings, accumulating $40,906 - a tidy sum in the 1970’s. Tidy enough at the time to place him third behind legends like Zoom Top and Lizrene on the all time prize money honour roll. Woolley Wilson won 11 races at Wentworth Park and 9 at Harold Park.
I was honoured to join Ray Warren, the late Ray Conroy and Paul Ambrosoli in paying tribute to a little man whose unwavering spirit was an inspiration to all. If the ties of the era had been any wider, you wouldn’t have needed a shirt.
Gary is married and living in Perth. I’m sure he remembers his night under the spotlight on “This Is Your Life”.