From left Craig Willis, the late Des Hoysted, Damian Raedler, Bob Charley, the late Billy Hill, Ian Craig, John Tapp and the late Geoff Mahoney. At the front of the group is Bruce Cox, friend to all guests and host for the night.
This one was taken in a little restaurant called Backstage in George St, Sydney in 1980.
The occasion was a farewell dinner to legendary Newcastle race caller Billy Hill (centre in brown jacket) who had just announced his retirement.
Bill had been an institution in the Hunter region as a journalist and racing commentator for close to fifty years. He called every Newcastle Cup from 1937 to 1980.
His distinctive style had earned him the popular nickname the “voice of the coalfields”. He was one of the early inductees into the Newcastle and Hunter Racing Hall Of Fame.
Bill was a devotee of greyhound racing and was widely acclaimed as a judge of form. It was often said that Billy Hill could “pluck a 10/1 winner out of the air”.
Bill was wonderful company at any kind of gathering. He loved a beer and had a set routine whenever he slightly exceeded his quota. He would put his glass on the bar and burst into a stirring rendition of the old classic “Ah Sweet Mystery Of Life”.
He was pretty good too.