Former star jockey Brendan Clements is making slow but sure progress from an ordeal while working a racehorse on his Dunbar Rd property.
And Clements said he would be eternally grateful for Kyabram’s Mick Blackmore and his partner Pam Patten for saving his life.
‘‘I owe my life to them because if they hadn’t have turned up I’m sure I would have died,’’ Clements said.
While working a galloper whom he had just purchased it suddenly baulked and threw him forward and he landed on his head.
Once gaining consciousness he found he was lying in thick grass unable to move.
But luckily he had his phone with him and was able to get an SOS to close friends Mick Blackmore and Pam Patten, who rushed to his property from Kyabram and summoned an ambulance.
‘‘Mick almost ran over me when he started looking for me because I was in long grass and at first he didn’t know where I was,“ Clements said.
“But everything turned out good and I’m just so grateful for them.”
Clements was taken to the GV Base Hospital where he was diagnosed with a broken wrist and bleeding on the brain before being flown to Melbourne to get more expert medical care.
He said when he was first X-rayed the specialists thought he had multiple breaks and spinal damage until he pointed out they were old injuries from his days as a leading jockey.
Clements rode in eight Melbourne Cups and had eight Group 1 winners as well as being Victoria’s top apprentice jockey in 1979 after moving to Victoria from New Zealand.
He is undergoing a rehabilitation program at the GV Base Hospital and is not quite sure when he will get the all clear to return home.
But has made up his mind about one thing — he’ll be handing in his licence to train gallopers.
“After what’s happened and at my age (63) I don’t need to try and do it anymore.’’
Ky misses rainfall
Kyabram missed most of the heavy rain that fell in southern areas in the state during the weekend.
Overnight Friday, Kyabram received just 1.4mm to take the May total up to Monday to just 2mm.
Temperatures plummeted with the change and on Sunday a chilly 2ºC was recorded, the lowest minimum this year.
Maximum temperatures have also taken a dive with no readings over 20ºC since May 2 when 20.2ºC was recorded.
A very costly metre
Just one metre was the difference between a collect of $57,000 and $15,000 when a pacer with Kyabram ownership interests ran second at the Melton trots last Saturday night.
Little Miss Lily, who ran a gallant second to the hot-favourite Sahara Breeze in the $100,000 APG Gold Bullion three-year-old fillies final is partly owned by Kyabram’s clan of Ryan brothers — Peter, Brendan, Francis, Kevin and another brother Denis — and is trained by their cousin Patrick Ryan at Shepparton.
The brothers were on track to cheer Little Miss Lilly home and were almost successful.
100 years in the swim
A Learn to Swim program has been operating in Deniliquin for a remarkable 100 years and last Friday the milestone and the man who started it were recognised in a tribute at McLean Beach on the Edward River.
The founder of the program was Scotsman Hector McLean, commonly known as “Mr Mac”.
His eldest grandson Robert Galloway and Bill Hetherington recounted their memories of Mr Mac’s foresight in the tribute in which commemorative signage has been erected to honour the program and Mr Mac.
Tourism town awards
Three NSW-Victoria border towns have been nominated for NSW Top Tourism Town Awards.
Murray River towns Moama, Mathoura and Barham have got the thumbs up to contest various categories of the awards, which has lifted spirits in these towns still recovering from last year’s floods
They are the only towns on the Murray River what have been nominated for awards.
Pyramid Hill mystery book
A former policeman has launched a book on the baffling mystery of a Pyramid Hill woman who disappeared without trace in June 2009.
The book titled Last Train Home: The Disappearance of Krystal Fraser chronicles the unsolved disappearance of the intellectually disabled woman.
Dennis O’Brien, who spent 27 years in the force, said he had been motivated to write the book because it gave him legitimacy to question people and form an opinion as to a clear suspect.
The book is on sale at Collins Booksellers, Echuca, at $29.95 or through Amazon, Booktopia or Kindle.
Another highway fatality
There has been another fatality near the scene of the horrendous accident on the Murray Valley Hwy near Cobram that claimed five lies.
A car and truck collided on the Benalla-Tocumwal Rd just on dusk last Thursday, killing the driver of the car.
Meanwhile hundreds of people gathered at an emotional candlelight vigil on April 26 to honour the five victims who were killed in the Cobram smash.
Emergency workers who attended the horrific crash scene were among the mourners who gathered at Cobram’s Federation Park to remember the victims, including much-loved local woman Debbie Markey.
Permanent levy
A permanent levee has been erected to safeguard the Mooroopna Powercor substation on the Mooroopna-Echuca Rd from floods.
Powercor crews have used more than 9000 cubic metres of soil to build the 310-metre long levee near Gemmill Swamp close to the Goulburn River.
Did you know?
1. Finland has more saunas than cars.
2. Gatorade was invented at the University of Florida, named after the mascot of the school, The Gators. The university receives 20 percent of the profits from the beverage.
3. Volleyball and basketball were both invented in Massachusetts.
4. The heaviest onion ever grown was 18 pounds and was grown in England.
5. Abraham Lincoln, who was famously tall at 193cm (6ft 4in) was also a successful competitive wrestler.
KY FAMOUS FILE
CYNNA KYDD
Cynna Kydd (née Neele) was born on September 21, 1981, in Kyabram and became an Australian professional netball player.
Kydd achieved some success in netball and swimming in her early life, and played in the Dairy Farmers State League at the age of 16.
She was also selected for the national under-21 team in 1999 and was accepted by the Australian Institute of Sport, before launching her professional career.
Kydd was a goal shooter for the Melbourne Kestrels in the Commonwealth Bank Trophy from 2000 to 2006, serving as club captain for the last two years.
An accurate and high-scoring shooter, she was one of the league’s top players of that era, winning the competition’s Most Valuable Player award for 2004.
She was also a frequent member of the Australian national netball team from 2003 to 2005.
Her career was hampered by injury and she struggled after being dropped from the national side in early 2005 and missing out on a return in time for the 2006 Commonwealth Games after sustaining a serious concussion late in the year.
Kydd made the surprise decision at the beginning of the 2006 season to transfer from the Kestrels, where she had been captain, to the club’s more successful rival, the Melbourne Phoenix, but she lasted only one season before walking away from the club to travel overseas.