Heart of a champion

OPINION: He was the Burt Munro of the greyhound track. Mervyn Eade drove the bunny and he drove the sport of greyhound racing in the south for almost three decades, writes Gerry Forde in this week's Southlander.

To help understand the man, here's a story of the greatest dog he trained, Wee Donna Dandy, and her "race of the decade" clash with Canterbury champion, Gallant Man.

It was the power and strength of the Canterbury male, against the speed and heart of the little bitch from Woodend.

Wee Donna Dandy blitzed the starting boxes. Gallant Man powered into stride, chasing her down and closing to one length at the back straight.

It was all on.

In a split second Gallant Man charged. Not around Wee Donna Dandy but straight ahead to wipe her off the rail.

In that moment of truth, flash back to Burt Munro on the salt flats with the exhaust of the Indian burning into his tough old skin.

To the Southland Stags defending a six-point lead against Canterbury through tackle after tackle.

Think Tom Scully, a ring-in at the World Cycling Champs glimpsing half a chance in the Madison and digging deep.

I think too of Merv battling the greyhound association on one side, the TAB on the other and some of the gumboot amateurism within the club from behind.

Gallant Man barged and the crowd gasped.

Wee Donna Dandy, the pint-sized bitch from Woodend, never budged, never wavered, never hesitated. Gallant Man bounced back, faltered, lost half a stride and lost the battle of the decade.

So I remember Merv, always his back against the wall in the small room off the garage at Woodend, filling dog bowls with the night's carefully measured rations – David at the bottom of the country, fighting the Goliath of vagaries of funding and race date allocations.

Never wavering, never budging from his principles.

And oh the day we ran the country's first ever $10,000 greyhound race! Who cares that a Canterbury dog won, we'd claimed another milestone for Southland.

Tragically, Wee Donna Dandy took fright in a storm and died without leaving progeny. Not so for you Merv, yours is the legacy of a close and loving family, and the "poor man's sport" from a backwater to sound professionalism.

Big heart, Merv. Big gap left. Your spirit lives on whenever any Southlander touches their personal passion and drives for the stars.

» Gerry Forde is the Venture Southland regional identity brand manager.

- © Fairfax NZ News