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The TTT heads back to 2014 and the publication of our Local Legends Book.
The following story was compiled and is set in 2014.
Here we learn a little bit about Jack Whybrow, well-known former Rugby League player and Horse Trainer.
Jack’s grandson Joie Whybrow is a new addition to the story having made the NSW U15s CCC Country side, just over a fortnight ago in May 2018.
“Whilst playing in the 4 St, 7lb, team at St Mary’s, Eric Kuhn came to coach us, I was very impressed because Eric was the Maher Cup Legend of the time. I got to play Half-back and I liked it because I got to kick off.”
This was the start of a love affair with Rugby League for Jack Whybrow.
Many years later, Jack was playing under 18s when Eric Kuhn was the
Captain/Coach of the First Grade side. Eric must have seen the talent that Jack possessed. After playing for many years as halfback, instead of
throwing ‘a lamb to the lions’, Eric decided to move himself in to the Front Row for the sake of the team and put Jack at Half-back in his position.
This was a momentous decision and the beginning of a changing of the guard for the local football side.
Jack, like Eric, went on to become one of the best Half-backs to ever play for Harden Murrumburrah.
Graham John Whybrow (“I didn’t like the name so I called myself Jack”) was born on the 8th of April1951. The middle of 3 boys, his brothers were Milton and Jim, and his parents were Dave and Agnes Whybrow.
Dave had a trucking business carrying wood and hay, and Agnes worked at the Grand Hotel. Jack started working with his dad the day after he left school. They were carting hay at the time and went on to also supply wood to the Wyangala Dam during its construction.
Jack reflected on the Junee Carnivals of his youth that were often played in miserable conditions. He said “The best part about the day was when each player received a bowl of soup to stave off the cold.”
Jack said, “I didn’t like school, I had a lot of flexies but I always went on
Thursdays for sport.”
Jack met his future wife Marj, when they were both 15 and they were married by 18. They have two boys, Chris and Jason. He said, “They are the light of our lives”. Jack and Marj have 8 grandchildren.
Chris and Jack were both nominated for the best Harden Hawks side of the past 40 years, with Jack making it into the team.
Jack was one of the players who donned the new maroon and white guernseys back in 1974 with players such as Ken Lemon, Mick Shea, Jessie James, Paul Glover, Terry Ricketts, John Shea, Garry Davis, Charlie Dyball, Dave Stephenson, Bob Hardy, Kevin Pollard, Garry Quinn, Ken Beatty, Dick Crooks, Ray Cross, Mick Bryant and Harvey Jones. Their most convincing win coming in July of that year against Wagga Magpies in recording a win of 30 points to 2. Try scorers on the day were none other than Jack Whybrow with 3, Paul Glover with 2 and Garry Davis and John Shea 1.
Jack played first grade for 10 years and modestly said “We had a couple of good years”. He won the Best and Fairest for Group 9 which included a Cruise to the tropical Island of Fiji in 1971. He said, “For someone who had never been out of Harden at this stage, it was a great experience.”
Jack and Marj have since become world travellers in countries such as China, USA, Vietnam, New Zealand and other parts of Asia.
Jack also won four club Best and Fairest awards for in 1973, 1976, 1977 and 1979. This in itself is an enormous achievement in that he won the award 4 out of the 10 years he played first grade. The quality of his game was acknowledged by his peers.
He was highly respected between his team mates. In Paul McCarthy’s book ‘Code Red’, Nicky Cullen in the Foreword names Jack amongst 9 other former players who are regarded as major contributors to the flight of the Harden Hawks.
Jack said he played with many great players but there are a few that
Stand out. John Shea, Eric Kuhn, Nick Cullen, Shane Mckellar …the list goes on. He said, “The toughest competitors included Les Boyd and Chook Howell. He played in 1 Grand Final for the Hawks and they went down to Turvey Park 26 to 6.
Jack was proud of the fact that the Harden side consisted of all local lads. They played against “3 Mortimer brothers and Greg Brentnall”. Chris & Steve Mortimer and Greg going on to represent Australia.
Jack retired, and unluckily for him, Harden went on to beat the Wagga
Kangaroos in the 1981 Grand Final 18-15, a couple of years later.
When asked who he thinks are the promising footballers of today, he mentions Nic Fuller and Riley Manwaring.
Jack being interviewed after a win by Norm’s Bridle at Randwick Racecourse.
Besides working with his father, Jack worked at the Grand Hotel when there were 5 pubs in town. Jack said there were plenty of big drinkers in those days and he used to sell about 25 18-gallon kegs over a week. He said “Those days are gone and it is a different culture now”.
Jack worked on a bread run for Clarkie’s Bakery for 4 years followed by 4 years painting with Porky Howe. He said he learnt a lot from Porky.
When Jack started at the Murrumburrah-Harden Hospital, he said “I didn’t think I would last 3 days. But I’m still there after 33 years and on the count-down to retirement. The hospital was so different to all of the other work I had done before this.”
“Mum won 500 pounds in the lottery and bought me a pony for 50 quid, and that’s when my love of horses began,” Jack said.
“Each year after the Rugby League season, the team would head to Sydney for an end of year trip. We would go to the Epsom and the Metropoliton races at Randwick and the bug really hit.”
Jim Whybrow, Marj and Jack Whybrow.
On a particular trip, the Harden side had been asked to leave the South Sydney Leagues Club due to some rowdy behaviour. Some of the team decided to give Ding Doyle the phone number for the club. Ding had consumed several drinks but was very charmingly asking if the group could be admitted to the club.
Unbeknownst to Ding was the fact the side had just been asked to leave. Ding’s charm fell on deaf ears when it was yelled back down the phone line “No way! We just banned them.”
“When I finished footy, Jim Brown gave me a horse called Gertie to train for him.
It only won one race and had a lot of ability, but it wouldn’t work hard. I gave her back to Jim, but then bought her back to breed. She had 3 foals for me called Zeek Wolf, Red Wolf and Little Wolf. Each foal was sired by Hayview”.
Zeek Wolf won 12 races, Red Wolf won 5 and Little Wolf won 13. Gertie actually carried Little Wolf with a broken shoulder.
Milton and Jack bought a little farm where they had stables and horses. Jack trained Norm’s Bridle for the better part of his career. “Norm” was owned by Dean Bourlet, and Duke and Chris Heywood. He won 16 races out of 96 starts over his career, as well as 14 places. Chris took over his training towards the end. He was probably one of the best horses to come out of this area.
Joie playing for Southern New South Wales a fortnight ago before going on to make the Country side.
Norm’s Bridle shared the same ancestors in his pedigree as Secretariat, who is widely regarded as the best racehorse in the world. Norm was lucky enough to have Bold Ruler on his sire’s side and Somethingroyal on his dam’s side. Like Secretariat, he would get well back often into last place by a few lengths but nearing home would make a bursting run and take over the horses in front in a sustained gallop. This often delighted his many backers and spectators.
Jack was proud that Norm had a couple of wins in Sydney at Randwick.
He still breeds horses but has scaled back. He jokingly said, “We woke up to ourselves, we couldn’t compete with the big boys in the city.” He is still involved with horse racing with Chris Heywood, Geoff Murray and others.
Chris is currently training Armanessy, Armaeasy and Armason for Jack and Marj.
Other people who have worked with horses with Jack include Natalie
Blundell, Kristy Brown, Kerry Stewart, Leanne Franklin, Scotty Dunn and Alfie Barker.
Jack follows his god son and nephew Nick Heywood’s career as an apprentice Jockey. Nick is currently sitting 3rd in the Southern District Racing Association for Jockeys. Whilst Chris is currently ahead in the Trainer’s Awards for 2014.
When asked what he learned from training horses that he could use in everyday life, he said, “I used to say to Johnny Shea that he taught me to train horses, because he was a great conditioner of human beings (teams) and conditioning horses is similar. Playing mind games and getting on the right side of the horse, encouraging loyalty and communicating brought the best results”.
Jack and Marj are Life Members of the Harden Picnic Race Club and Jack is currently Vice President. He has been President in the past. He is often seen at the Racecourse tending to the facilities and volunteering his time selflessly.
Without volunteers like Jack, the race meeting would not be possible each year.
Jack and Marj have also been avid renovators completing 3 homes so far together. Their current residence, which previously belonged to the
Weatherstones, has also been lovingly restored by them.
Jack said he has no regrets, has worked hard, enjoyed life and if others were to describe him, he said he would like to be known as hard working, loyal and honest.
For someone described as a quiet achiever, you have achieved many great things.
Congratulations on an excellent Rugby League and Racing career.
Thank you for being a local legend.
