Accurate. Articulate. Entertaining.
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They are the three qualities Allan Hull says make a good racecaller and three qualities he hopes to have delivered to listeners over the last 50 years.
The voice of Wagga will call his final race meeting at Murrumbidgee Turf Club (MTC) on Sunday.
The gates will crashhhh back for the last time at Wagga and Hull admits it is a large part of his life that he will miss dearly.
"Obviously I'll miss it, how much I'll miss it? I don't know," Hull said.
"The fact I'm going to do the non-TAB little country clubs for another four or five months, there is still an interest there. I think I'll still do my preview program on the radio so I'll still be involved but yes I'll miss it.
"You don't do something for 50 years that you love and not miss it."
Hull started out calling harness racing trials at Wagga as a teenager. His first paid gig came not long after, calling the trots at the Henty Show in 1969.
It was there that the career of a Riverina icon began. Hull would go on to call for more than 50 years, broadcasting every Wagga Gold Cup since 1979.
In that time, Hull has built quite a big supporter base. In the modern day, punters can tune in from across the world to watch racing in the Riverina and hear the iconic voice of Hull calling.
Hull sees the role as racecaller as an important part of the entertainment package.
"I just always go out there to do my best," Hull said.
"If there were three things I wanted to be, you want to be accurate, if you're not accurate, forget about it. I wanted to be articulate. I respect the Queen's English and I enjoy English and I want to be entertaining. It's an entertainment industry.
"Someone's backed the 100-1 shot and if it wins, be excited for them. If the 6-4 favourite runs terrible, portray that in your voice. Gee, half the world's on the 6-4 favourite and it hasn't given them a look in.
"It's an entertainment industry and I've been privileged to be part of it."
Privilege is the word Hull uses to describe his important role.
"One of the things I've considered myself very lucky with is there is no bigger sporting day in Wagga than the Gold Cup and for 40 years I've been able to tell the world about it. How privileged is that?" he said.
"I've been trusted to tell the world what happens at Wagga on their biggest sporting day of the year. We must respect the faith and the trust that people put in us, and they've trusted me for 40 years."
While punters across the country will miss some of Hull's classic catchcries or one-liners, for the great man himself, it will be the people he misses most.
"You miss the people. You miss the Bruce Harpleys. You can't buy that. You can't buy respect, you can't buy experience. You only get that from doing it a long time and people having a respect for what you do," Hull said.
"I'm probably closer to the harness racing people because you can get closer to them. You can't get close to jockeys as such because they're in there and you're up here. Even though I always like to come and say hello to them, I'm not really close to any of them whereas with the harness people, it's because I've known them all my life.
"Ray Walker's another one, he always waves to me when he comes out onto the track. I've known Ray all my life. You miss the people. The people like the Peter Clancys, those sort of people, who are dyed in the wool genuine good people.
"The game is about people and passion. You can't buy passion. You can't buy respect and you can't buy experience. That's the trifecta."
Hulls refers to harness racing people and the trots have been a big part of his calling life.
Labelling Bruce Harpley 'the Junee Postman' and Steve Maguire 'the Mirrool Magician' are just two of his favourite lines.
"At the trots, certainly, lost contact with the peloton, he's about to run the spinnaker up. I enjoyed using the speed of a startled gazelle the other night," he said.
"I'm proud of the fact that I've made the Junee postman who he is, he is the Junee postman and he's known across the country as that. The Mirrool magician. I enjoyed making personalities of people. Obviously the gates crash back. Snavelled the possie on the leaders back.
"You can have more cliches at the trots because you've got more time. You can tell the story, whereas at the gallops, they jump and if you can get through them twice in 1000 metres you've done well. The trots, you can tell a story. They go around three times and things are happening."
Hull called four Inter Dominions for 2WG, in Brisbane, Christchurch, Melbourne and Perth.
Another highlight is calling 'Victory for Victorem' in the 2018 Country Championships Final at Randwick.
One of Hull's most memorable calls was Mill Court's emotional Wagga Gold Cup win in 1990 for Bob Tyack.
Another was the grey, Sasha Bijou, storming home in the mud to win the 1988 Wagga Gold Cup.
Hull rates two-time Wagga Gold Cup winner Allez Bojoz as one of the best horses he has called. He also includes the likes of Aussie Cossie, Green Ridge, Pride Rock, Pride Of Indies, Chance Affair and Inside Fifty among that group. In the modern era, it is hard for Hull to go past Takeover Target and Santa Ana Lane.
He named Bert Honeychurch, Ken Sweeney, Richard Freyer and Brett Cavanough as the best trainers from the region, while also giving special mention to the strike rate of Dave Heywood and the recent efforts of Trevor Sutherland.
The best jockeys that come to his mind are the likes of Steve Sharman, Donald Terry, Graham Power and the late Alan Abrahams.
Hull labelled Tumbarumba as the most unique track he's called at, while he was honoured to be awarded life membership at the MTC last year. He also called local football for radio and television for about 25 years. He and Russell Campbell started The Long Break Footy Show, while Hull's other great passion is the theatre.
He is part of two choirs, The Wagga City Rugby Male Choir and the Cantilena Singers, and has performed in 'eight or 10' stage productions, including Oliver, Les Miserables and My Fair Lady.
"I love the stage," Hull said.
"The theatre helped the broadcasting and the broadcasting helped the theatre.
"The fact I worked in radio too, media people are out there people. Maybe we're too out there but I'd rather have a go in a photo and be wrong, than not have a go at all."
Hull believes there is a few key ingredients that makes a good racecaller.
"A good racecaller is one whose accurate. Be accurate, be articulate and be entertaining. In that order," he said.
"Accuracy has got to come first. It doesn't matter how smart you are if you haven't got them in the right spot.
"Having an intimate knowledge of the people helps, and that's where I've been able to at the trots, I've got an intimate knowledge of most people.
"I've known someone since he was four, he's now 40. I know that his dad died last week. Bringing in those little bits of information. Like the other day, I said the fillies and mares are lining up and Trevor Sutherland has another filly to look after. The Marrar pacer dashes to the lead, and the boys won the premiership in the Farrer League last week. All those little things. That personal touch."
Hull is disappointed that local knowledge will be lost if his replacement is a Sydney-based caller, as expected.
"It's disappointing that there's not another local person. Because if there was, he should have been tapping me on the shoulder for the last five years saying can I have a go," he said.
"But by the same token, there's been no one in Canberra since Tony Campbell died.
"I was never a full-time employee of Sky but you've now got to be able to work any day of the week. Any time of the night or day. If I was working for you, you'd say you can't have next Wednesday off, you had last Thursday off. I was lucky that I worked at Prime Television and that worked.
"It's disappointing it won't be a local person who would have the local knowledge because when it's seven days a week, it becomes robotic."
As the finish line nears, Hull has had plenty of time to reflect. His decision to retire sits comfortably with him.
"The reality is starting to sink in," he said.
"I didn't want to think too much about it and I didn't think much about it (last) Tuesday night until basically the last race. Because if you start to worry about it during the evening it's just going to affect the way you do it.
"It was the last at Wagga (trots) but it wasn't my last trot call. It will be worse at Albury, when it will the last as such.
"The reality is now starting to sink in though. Four months ago in October, January 31st seemed a long time ago. It's beginning to sink in but I'm ready for it. I'm better prepared now than what I was in October because I've had time to think, yes it is the right thing.
"I've had a good knock, made your hundred, you've waved your bat to the crowd and go out when you're in front."
In the immediate future, Hull will ease into retirement by calling the last of the non-TAB meetings across the Southern District.
He concedes after that, at some point, his future lies in Brisbane.
"For the next six months, we'll just sort of wind down," he said.
"Yes, (Brisbane) will happen eventually. It makes sense. If you had two kids and four grandkids in Brisbane, it makes sense that that's where you were going to end up.
"Obviously that's where I'll end up. Eventually, not instantly."
Hull wanted to thank those that gave him his start in racecalling. He said the late Ted Ryder was his greatest influence and stressed to him the importance of 'getting the facts right'.
"To the people who gave me a chance in the first place. I was initially going to announce my resignation at the (MTC) annual general meeting because it was Stuart Lamont's father (Colin) that put me on, and I wanted it to be his son that said goodbye," he said.
"Also the committees that have stood by me. The harness racing people have been fantastic because they're just good people. It is the Bruce Harpleys that make it all worthwhile."
Hull saved his final thank you to his family. His wife Gayle, children Quentin and Stephanie, and his four grandchildren will all be trackside at MTC on Sunday for his final Wagga meeting.
"My family's very important to me. I wouldn't be where I am without them," he said.
"Gayle, she's always been very supportive. She's always been in the background but no one does it on their own. If it wasn't for her in the early days, the kids wouldn't have had their upbringing. There was races every Saturday and Sunday I would call the footy. But Sunday was always family day, we could go to the footy together."
So as the gates prepare to crash back for the final time, Hull says he has loved every minute.
"I've enjoyed it. It's been great to have the confidence of the people," he said.
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