TONY MCMAHON RETURNED TO TOP FORM AT GLADSTONE
Tony McMahon in the Callaghan Park broadcast box - Rockhampton 1995.
One of my favourite podcasts this year was the one we presented in June with the extraordinarily versatile Queensland racing identity Tony McMahon. How many racing identities can lay claim to having worked professionally as a steward, handicapper, administrator, journalist, race caller and horse trainer. It’s an indisputable fact that he left his mark in all six pursuits. At the time we recorded the podcast I was unaware that Tony had been struggling for almost a year with the side effects of several worrying health episodes, clinically described by doctors as Generalised Focal Epileptic Seizures. He was stripped of his driver’s licence but allowed to continue working at his own pace. A couple of disastrous days behind the microphone at recent country meetings dealt Tony a very damaging blow. I digress. On Saturday October 25th at the Cox Plate day Gladstone meeting, the ever popular McMahon got back behind the binoculars and sounded as though he’d never been away. An elated Tony McMahon felt the need to share the story on his Facebook page and through the readership of Ray See’s hugely popular online publication “Racing Around Queensland”. He’s been overwhelmed by the public response. Enough from me. Please let me post Tony’s touching letter to friends and supporters around Australia.
“Good Old Me.
By Tony McMahon
Two months ago I was convinced I would never call another race nor compose another racing yarn. I was devastated. After having broadcast horse races, harness races and the odd greyhound races on and off for 57 years, and at long intervals having written about them, it wasn’t the way I had planned on bowing out.
Since August 2024, I have suffered intermittent seizures. In fact I have not been allowed to drive since.
In late July and then on August 2 this year I did, shall we say make a complete disaster (after a clean spell for many months of no seizures) of calling the races at Middlemount and Yeppoon. By the time the horses had left the enclosure going to the barriers I had virtually forgotten how to identify them by the jockeys silks. It was humiliating but I battled on. There is no “delete button” when calling a horse race like there is when composing a story on a computer where you can start again. To this day I have never played back those race calls from Middlemount nor Yeppoon nor will I ever.
I was gutted.
I suffered a seizure two days before the Middlemount race meeting and similarly before Yeppoon. I was convinced I would be fine to call at Yeppoon as from mind exercises my “short term” memory seemed to be responsive. I was totally wrong. Worse still for weeks after, I felt as if I had been run over by a tractor.
I couldn’t concentrate even enough to write about my beloved racing nor had any inclination to do so. I just lay around like a zombie. Depressed feeling sorry for myself.
In the last six weeks there has been a massive turnaround through a change of medication. As well an explanation from my neurologist set my mind straight (excuse the pun) advising of just how long the short term memory can be out of action after suffering a seizure.
Adopting a positive attitude and buoyed by my new found zeal, I bit the bullet and decided “not to let the old man in”.
Amid a little hesitancy over ridden by confidence, I called the races at the Gladstone Turf Club meeting on Saturday.
A hard marker, I gave myself a pass.
I wrote this little tale for no other reason than in the hope it may inspire other folk from negativity whatever their health problems may be.
Don’t give up and as my great friend Neville Stewart told me years ago “ never let the old man (woman) in”. It’s good medicine and better still keep on smiling.”
Tony with the talented mare Gay And Dapper 1991.
