First published – May 5 2007.
It‟s funny how you forget things and then years later they pop up again in your mind.
I used to get Wednesdays of school once a month to cruise to the track with my father figure Steve, I‟d totally forgotten about it until today, good times.
Back again,
Back in the day when was just a little 13 year old lout I was living with my Mum and her boyfriend a guy named Steve Fitzgerald.
They never got married but I have all ways pretty much considered him to be my father or the closest thing anyway.
Once a month, on a Wednesday I would get the day of school and Steve would take me to the track in Canberra for a punt on the greyhounds.
Being an owner trainer he always had a few dogs in himself so it was pretty exciting for a young bloke and it sure beat sitting in class or getting roasted by the principle.
We would get up with the sun and get the dogs organised while Mum fixed us a breakfast and then it was of to the track.
There was a few queer looking characters at the dogs as there still all ways seems to be today but that didn't bother me I was all ways to busy studying the form guide to try and turn the ten dollars Mum would give me into a new cricket bag or the latest super nintendo game.
I would study that form guide until I was certain I couldn't lose.
You‟re not actually legally able to bet but until your eighteen but most of the time the bookies would take my two dollars for the win, it was probably a bit of a laugh for them.
Sometimes I would have to get a stranger or Steve to place the bet but I never missed a race.
I usually did pretty well, most Wednesdays I would leave with more then I arrived with and on the occasions I lost Steve would usually hand me a few notes from the wad he would have at the track.
The funny thing is since then I haven't really been to the dogs at all or even thought about it, I think when I'm a bit older and have a family etc and things calm down I might just get myself a greyhound and see f I cant train a winner.
Look out for "Koky Prik" coming up the home straight for the win one day.
What a bogan, ha ha.
Back soon.