When Ronald Kevin Wood’s name was announced as being one of Bathurst’s newest Living Legends on Proclamation Day 2016, it was a special moment in the life of a bloke who is as local as you could ever find.
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Mr Wood, 85, was one of nine new additions to the list of what is effectively the city’s hall of fame.
The initial roll-out of 200 Living Legends was made as part of the region’s bicentenary celebrations held last year.
Each of those people had a red maple tree planted in their honour in what is now an avenue of trees along Bradwardine Road, between the highway and Suttor Street.
Mr Wood’s tree will be planted in early July, along with other maples honouring those recognised for their contribution to the city, including Mary Cuppaidge, Tony Wells, Chris Bacon, Betty Wardman, John Maynard, Brian Atkinson, Geoffrey Brown and Anne Bromfield.
His nomination for the honour was the result of a lifelong involvement in the community and sport, including an active involvement with the Royal Bathurst Show over many decades, the local Citizens’ Military Forces, RSL Sub Branch, the harness racing industry, a rugby league player with St Pat’s and local first grade cricket umpire.
If ever there was anyone born for Bathurst, it’s Ron Wood.
His late father Ollie was a serving councillor with the former Bathurst City Council, while his wife Evie’s late father, Frank Burke, was also a councillor.
“Becoming a Living Legend is a day I will always remember with great fondness,” Mr Wood said. “It was even more special because I was surrounded by my family, including Evie, my loving wife of 58 years.
“Really, it’s quite an overwhelming experience because you think of all the other people who would be just as deserving of an accolade like this.”
Mr Wood said Bathurst has changed so much during his lifetime.
“We used to have a set of stables in the backyard of the family home in Rocket Street where I would keep a couple of trotting horses,” he said. “Back then I could take a horse in a training cart and lead the second one and head down to the showground to train them by sticking to the verges of the roads, which weren’t sealed.
“That was an incentive to set about developing a stable complex at the showground so you could base your horses there without having to be constantly putting them on a horse float to get there. It also acted as a good income earner for the showground.”
In fact, the Bathurst Showground proved to be something of a home-away-from-home for Mr Wood.
For more than 20 years he was the secretary of the Bathurst Show Society and Mr Wood takes great pride in the fact he ran a tight ship and helped evolve the big community event into something special.
He also served on the Bathurst Showground Trust for decades and for some years also acted as the secretary of the Bathurst Trotting Club.
“I really loved those trotters though. My wife and her late sister Peggy Turnbull would own them and I would train and drive them along with Joe Turnbull. The highlight was driving and winning the NSW Oaks at Harold Park with long shot Ula Globe in 1964,” he said.
“Back in those days harness racing drew big crowds to the local showground and the competition was fierce. Today you are lucky to get a handful of people to a meeting, but the new complex off College Road is a great addition to the city’s sporting facilities.”
As a member of the local Citizens’ Military Forces in the post World War II years, Mr Wood rose to the rank of Captain and at one stage commanded more than 200 men, predominately National Servicemen.
Today he continues that association as a member of the Bathurst RSL Sub Branch and takes pride in marching to the Carillon every year on Anzac Day.
Mr Wood said he became a cricket umpire to be involved in the sport at a time in the 1970s and 1980s when his twin sons Colin and Brian were members of the St Patrick’s first grade team.
He also was a renowned, speedy winger with the St Pat’s Rugby League Club in his younger years and was an acclaimed athlete, still holding major sprinting titles under the former 100 and 200 yard distances.