Race caller saluted
ELEANOR Lyle has countless remarkable memories of her late father Dick Chant’s career in racing, but one stands out more than most.
Lyle loved going to the Mt Garnet races, one of the biggest meetings on Queensland’s bush racing circuit, every year with her father, who was the race caller for Far North racing for four decades.
“My most memorable moment with dad was the races at Mt Garnet – we had the most fantastic time up there,” she said.
“We went up there as teenagers and had a ball, we took our friends up there.
“They were certainly my highlight of dad’s race calling career.”
The Cairns Jockey Club will honour the late Dick Chant this afternoon with a memorial race named after him, for his dedication to racing.
The popular Chant was the race caller nearly every Saturday for 40 years, known for his natural flair and accuracy covering all races at Cannon Park, before retiring in 1997.
Earlier this year, Chant passed away and the Far North Racing community will pay tribute to the great racing ambassador and thorough gentleman of the turf this afternoon.
Current Cairns race caller Bluey Forsyth said Chant was a great caller of sports, as well as being respected in the wider community.
“He was the voice of Cannon Park and the voice of sport activities, he called rugby league, too,” Forsyth said.
“He was a top footballer too, he played Foley Shield and had a run with Parramatta.
“He was a sporting icon, not just racing, and really pioneered sports broadcasting in the Far North.”
Chant was well researched and prepared, but still always had time for family as well, according to Lyle. “He had a very good life in racing,” she said.