Don Matheson Obituary, Woolamai Races Club Stalwart has died

Don Matheson Obituary, Death – The Woolamai and District Racing Club is in a condition of deep sadness because Don Matheson was a lifelong member of the club, and his passing has caused the club to be in such a state.
After dedicating more than half a century of his life to Woolamai, the employee known only as “Duck” is now revered throughout the company.

There were seldom ever any days in which Duck did not make his way down to the racetrack in order to check on the status of everything there. There was a lot of respect for Duck on the committee because he had been there for a long time and had contributed a lot. During the festivities commemorating the 25th anniversary of the club’s amalgamation, which took place the year prior.

Duck and his wife Helen were recognized by being awarded life memberships as a token of appreciation. Duck served as president of the Woolamai Recreation Reserve and made significant contributions to the community as a whole in addition to this. Despite this, Duck’s involvement in racing could be traced much further afield than the bounds of our organization.

Duck began his career in the industry as a barrier attendant and later became a race day judge after being recommended for the post. Duck worked in a variety of capacities within the industry during the course of his time there. He got the majority of his popularity in this role as a result of his work covering race meets in the South Eastern and Port Phillip districts.

He is currently employed in this position. In recognition of his service to Racing Victoria spanning more than three decades, Duck was presented with an award that year (2011). Because of his earlier expertise working with horses and other livestock, Duck quickly offered to take on the task of manning the gate to the Woolamai mounting yard once he retired from the judge’s box.

This was due to the fact that Duck had worked with horses in the past. He served in this role for close to ten years, during which time he was of tremendous aid to the club. It was well known that Duck had a large number of pals. He was generous, always ready to lend a helping hand, and eager to share his stories about racing, farming, and the history of the area with anyone who was interested. We are going to miss Duck dreadfully, and the days at Woolamai Racecourse aren’t going to be the same without him around.