Wayne Smith has been synonymous with Hunter harness racing for most of his 43 years, not just as an administrator but also a tireless volunteer.
So much so, that his departure from the secretary-manager role at Newcastle and secretary position at Maitland caused shock - and some concern.
"I did have someone whisper in my ear, confirming that I wasn't dying," Smith quipped. "They said, 'just quickly, you're not dying'. I said, 'no, I'm not. I don't have a terminal illness. I'm not leaving because I'm dying'.
"And we laughed about it."
Smith resigned in December, citing stress, after 19 years in administration at Newcastle. He oversaw his last meeting at Newcastle on Monday and finishes up officially on Tuesday.
His involvement at the track as a volunteer stretches back to its opening night in 1989, when he stacked fridges as a 10-year-old. At his home track of Maitland, Smith has been the backbone of racing and fortnightly Sunday trials for many years.
He has been overwhelmed by the thanks and good wishes from people across the industry, especially since footage of a farewell presentation on Friday night was posted on social media.
"It's been good," he said.
"On Friday, Grace [Rothfield] and I did the race meeting, and there were a couple of times where she had to give me a little pep talk that it will be all right, you'll be OK. You won't lose it. But I said 'I'm losing it now and there's only one person here'. But I didn't.
"But a lot of people have said, they'd hate to see me not come back. Not necessarily running Newcastle, but not being involved in the industry.
"[Sydney race caller] Fred [Hastings] said 'so that's it? The door's closed?' But I said 'never say never. You never know'.
"We've got some things wrong, but who gets everything right? Nobody.
"All you can do is try. And you can look back at all the things you got wrong, but, wow, look at all the things we did get right."
Smith said he would still go to race meetings to catch up with the friends he's made over the years and he was going to help the club transition to a replacement.
"I'll probably have to pop back at different times in the next few weeks, whether I'm at the races or not, that's still a bit up in the air," he said.
At the meeting, Cessnock trainer Clayton Harmey and driver Blake Hughes combined for a double, taking out the Thank You Smithy Ladyship Pace with Shiralee and the fourth with Funnily Enough.
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