Voltaire, the eighteenth century French writer and philosopher is credited with the well known quote “I disapprove of what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it”.

Former ace photographer Steve Hart has been hosting occasional racing luncheons at the Swansea RSL for a number of years now.

His devoted family and an army of friends always knew the man was widely loved and respected. In the past week they’ve discovered the magnitude of that adoration. Through his childhood years Graham McNeice would have been the kindest kid on the block.

Steve Hart has captured many magic moments during his long career as a Sydney race day photographer. Nowadays he’s making his mark as an interviewer of some of racing’s most interesting personalities.

Many veteran racing fans on and off course felt a tinge of sadness as the runners filed onto the track for Saturday’s Petaluma Hcp at Randwick.

Lovable, humorous, entertaining, informative, loyal and decent and that’s only a start. These were some of the many adjectives used by friends and associates last week as they paid tribute to “Jock” Gollogly who died in Newcastle at age 72.

It was a delight to catch up with Ray Markey at the Jockeys Reunion at Rosehill in August. I’d seen little of the former jockey since quitting the race broadcasting scene in 1998.

Firmly entrenched among my favourite racing memories are those of my first meeting with Ray Selkrig. It was late in 1965 and I was nervously setting up the broadcast gear in the 2GB box at Sydney’s Canterbury racecourse.

A host of old friends turned out last Sunday night to farewell Brian Wood from the Warwick Farm racing scene - a place he’d called home for fifty six years.

George Moore told me in 2002 that his failure to win a Melbourne Cup in nineteen rides was of little concern to him. His wife Iris told me differently.

Enthusiasts with a sense of racing history find it hard to get through Melbourne Cup week without sparing a thought for Carbine - perhaps the greatest of all Cup winners.