JOHN Alfred Lyons is definitely one of North Queensland racing’s real characters.
He is not seen around the course these days as often as he used to be.
But before his near fatal fall from the roof of his majestic home that overlooks the bay on Cleveland Terrace, John was a regular.
Not only at Cluden where, incidentally, he was destined to be TTC chairman after a thorough apprenticeship under respected
mentor George Roberts but also in the committee and members areas of both Brisbane clubs.
Of course, it helped to be the well-respected son-in-law of Judge Ned Williams, the QTC chairman.
A fairer and more knowledgeable racing man – and regular visitor to the Cairns Amateurs – you could not meet.
John Lyons will be remembered too, as the forefather of professional basketball in Townsville and also a fervent Phantom fanatic.
At one stage, in his Flinders Street office he had a skull cave complete with lion and all the Phantom comic characters and trappings. He raced his horses in the phantom colours (purple, black checks) and even rebranded his beloved Brisbane Bitter stubbies with Bengali Bitter labels. The Phantom’s favourite tipple, in case you didn’t know.
For years John Lyons was a player, then patron of the infamous
Mr Walker’s 11 at the annual Goldfield Ashes at Charters
Towers. The team didn’t win a lot of games but had, without doubt, the most fun.
There were playing trips to NZ for the team, and on one such crusade, HM Customs at Auckland airport refused to allow their ample cargo of Bengali Bitter to leave the airport.
So John and his merry men decided they would stage a sit-in at
the airport – and drink it! They were soon waved through – beer and all.
On another such trans-Tasman venture John commissioned prominent trainer Eric Kirwan to buy them a horse at the NZ yearling sales. Surprise, surprise – the sales just happened to coincide with the cricket trip that year.
Eric Kirwan completed his task arriving home with a well-bred
youngster that like most yearlings was “going to win the Slipper”.
They called it Bengali Bitter, of course, and John remembers that it actually it won a race – a maiden at Mingela. A framed photo of the horse is in the Lyons overcrowded hall of
fame along with Northern Time, Garrison and a host of others. Bengali Bitter is shown winning a race named the Nescafe Stakes at an undisclosed venue.
The jockey was named on the framed photo as “Russ Hinz”, the
trainer as “Hyden Haitana” (of Fine Cotton infamy) and owners are listed as “RJ Hawke, J Bjelke Petersen and JA Lyons”.
Bengali Bitter was one of the many horses caught up in the
infamous caffeine crisis that affected many stables and some totally innocent trainers in Queensland in the 1980s. It went on for weeks until it was discovered that the flood of positive swabs to caffeine were caused by a defect in the laboratory testing system.
Of course, the photo is a dummy but it graphically portrays the sense of humour that was a hallmark of the man – a real character – and still is.
Then there was the day a mate in Melbourne sent him a horse. His wife, Zilla wasn’t overly impressed so John formed a syndicate to race the unwanted steed.
Its arrival also coincided with the visit to Townsville by the Wallabies rugby team, with JA one of the main organisers as the president of the TDRU.
After the game he consulted five players – Chris Handy, Paul McLean, Andy Stack, Stan Pilecki and Roger Gould – as well as Fr Peter Gillard, the renowned padre of Eagle Farm, and a syndicate was soon in place to race a horse named Aquitane – a very handy sprinter of his era and the
source of many memorable and exciting moments. To say our John was well connected would be an understatement.
And then there was one that the devoted Zilla did get her own way.
Her brother, prominent Brisbane barrister Tony Williams nodded his head to buy a yearling at the Magic Millions 20 years ago.
He offered a share to John who says he was “overruled” and the
horse turned out to be Al Mansour, a top-class galloper of his era, trained by everyone’s mate, the late great Bruce McLachlan. Al Mansour won the George Ryder and Shannon Stakes in 2000 and was once described by jockey Danny Brereton (Castlemaine Stakes winner) as one of the best he had ever ridden.
Al Mansour won $1,585.241 in 40 starts, winning 11 – all in top
company. Nowadays John attends Cluden Nylon Cup day and occasionally watches the races on television at the Allen pub TAB. His big collection of racing and rugby club neckties is among his prized possessions but they don’t get out as
they used to. And there is no doubt racing has lost its public appeal – much of it to the pokies.
“You know when I was on the NQRA committee I did a study and
found that punters north of Rockhampton wagered more money
per capita on the TAB than those between Brisbane and Rockhampton.
“No one disputed my figures but northern clubs were not recognised or rewarded for that contribution,” he said.
In other words, race clubs north of Rocky have never received
their rightful whack of TAB distribution funds.
He clearly remembers his first day at the races 50 years ago. “My dad
took me – I was about 18 and he gave me 10 bob. I placed five bob each way a horse named Gusap. It won at 10-1 and I was hooked.”
He then took a job as a bookies clerk to finance his way through
university. He worked for Tom O’Shea, a visiting doubles bookie,
who came up from the south for the carnivals, and the legendary Jack Davidson.
“It was a good experience – a good background” he said.
Today he keeps the coffee shop proprietors happy around town and on Saturdays can be found having a few bob each way he fancies down at his local.
It is a far cry from the heady days of big business, seaside resorts, black ties and crocodile parks and the
hustle and bustle of the Cluden betting ring.
Not all his dreams, ambitions and plans were fully realised. But he was a trier and most of all a devoted North Queenslander. Today he seems genuinely happy with his lot. There is still some spring in his step as he nears septuagenarian stage.
Most of all he has four devoted grandchildren to spoil and keep him young.
And no doubt they are well acquainted with Mr Walker and the
absorbing escapades and tales of the ghost who walks.
