Christchurch harness enthusiast TERRY STOCKDALE was farewelled in style at the Sacred Heart Addington church on Tuesday only days after he and Jamie Stephens produced a winner at Cambridge. It was long time All Stars member and Terry Stockdale fan,Jamie’s first training success, with a six year old,Anna,who had finished last at her first outing for the team and paid what used to be known as “bookie’s odds” .Terry would have loved that.
Terry had a quiet exterior but plenty of fun and racing enthusiasm lurked underneath. No surprise that a healthy turnout of present and former All Stars staff including James these days based in Auckland,were there on Tuesday. Natalie made a speech of warm appreciation of Terry- just for being Terry.
Terry Fought Cancer for Several Years but Still Strongly Supported All Stars
“I didn’t know him well when he first came out and he kept a low profile but the more I got to know him the more I appreciated what a fine person he was” Natalie said
Born in Ashburton later shifting to Christchurch Terry worked hard at various jobs,sometimes more than one at a time, while among his other appreciations was Elvis Presley of whom he remained a big fan until his death. His chief interest,however ,was always family and with work there was not a lot of time left for other outside interests.
But he was never far from harness racing.Racebooks back to the 1950’s were prized possessions,something young trotting enthusiasts in that era treasured. More recently Terry began to develop a relationsip with All Stars horses and people-without fanfare but with the energy he put in to everything he did. He began supporting the team on racenights, then visiting the stables on Saturdays which became an extension of his life.
Natalie noted in a warm appreciation that “he never asked for anything but he was always there.When you came back in racenight and you knew it had not been a good drive,you were feeling shit, there was always a few words of support.That was the sort of man Terry was”
Jimmy Stephens-thrilled his first training winner was with a horse raced with Terry
Terry always helped out where he could and had his favourites-among them True Fantasy the top notich filly of the Covid period. He was just a genuine fan,fond of the horses and a stalwart of the stable through thick and thin.
Terry, a man of physical presence and skills in his vintage years, was attacked by cancer about four years ago and it was a battle for he and the family through that time of treatment.More recently it was found to have spread in spite of an operation and chemotherapy.
It stlll did not prevent visits to Rolleston and Addington in support of the stable and it was easy to see how his daughters regarded him as a devoted father while they were growing up.
Such unselfish voluntary support for any professional stable is rare these days but Terry and Elvis had something else in common beside the music-they both retained their fans – through good times and bad.
Terry is survived by his wife of 56 years Lynn who nursed him through his long illness and daughters Sharyn and Tracey.Tracey’s tribute to her father and his strengths as a parent was a touching one but delivered with humout-just the way Terry would have wanted it.
The Elvis Fan back in the day
May he Rest in Peace