By Leah Jones, 2024.
Sometime back, around the early 2000s, the Harvey District Trotting Club was handed a slightly battered silver cup about 30cm tall. I believe it may have been given to the Club by Arthur Thornton’s son, Barry Thornton, after his father died in 2001. When it was cleaned up, the following inscription was revealed:
The Harvey Cup 1932
Won by: Gee Bung
Owner: MH Barker
Trainer: T Pinner
Reinsman: A Thornton
The Harvey Cup 1932 was raced at the Labour Day meeting on Monday 2 May that year and the winners were entitled to keep the Cup. It was the Club’s 18th Meeting held since it became affiliated with the Western Australian Trotting Association (WATA).
1932 Harvey Cup, photo courtesy of Leah Jones.
Further investigation shows a link between the three people whose names appear on the Cup. Gee Bung’s trainer was THOMAS PINNER Jnr (1886-1966), who married Elizabeth ‘Cissy’ Thornton (née Barker) in Harvey in 1925. Elizabeth was the daughter of owner MORTON HENRY BARKER (1871-1943). Reinsman ARTHUR MORTON THORNTON (1915-2001), was Elizabeth Pinner’s eldest son and stepson of Tom Pinner.
Elizabeth Barker had married Arthur Newton Thornton in Adelaide in 1913 and they spent the next two years in India, where he worked with the railways. They returned to Western Australia in 1915, to where her parents, Morton Henry Barker and Dinah Gooch, were operating a hotel in Midland. Arthur joined up in WWI in 1917, but on his return in 1918 he found it difficult to settle down, and eventually left Elizabeth and their three children in 1919.[1] Elizabeth divorced him in 1924 and married Thomas Pinner Jnr, with whom she had two sons Morton (born 1926) and Ronald (born 1930).[2]
LABOUR DAY – Monday 2 May 1932 – Harvey’s Final Meeting.
GEE BUNG WINS CUP
The Harvey and District Trotting Club conducted its final meeting for the current season on Monday in conditions which were anything but pleasant. Sufficient rain did not fall in the town to permit of the collection of the pluvious policy, but a boggy ground and occasional showers made things decidedly uncomfortable. The attendance was none the less satisfactory. The track in places was on the heavy side, but good times were recorded.
Excellent nominations and close finishes in most of the events provided spectators with plenty of excitement. Mr. W. H. Perry, country representative of the West Australian Trotting Association was in charge of the racing and everything passed off without a hitch. During the afternoon, the sum of £147/15/- passed through the totalisator. Manakau, Venia Dillon, Aussie Boy and Polly Alto were the only withdrawals from the Harvey Cup leaving a field of fifteen. The winner, Gee Bung, firmed from 5’s to 2’s whilst McKenny’s Pride shortened from 8 to 2 to evens. Brockley was also in demand at evens and Yarloop, who had won the previous event in handsome style and Roy Bells were asked for at 3’s.
Brockley was interfered with early in the running and took little or no part in the race. Roy Bells quickly came into prominence and past the stand the first times was showing the way to McKenny’s Pride with the remainder of the field well bunched. McKenny’s Pride, Roy Bells, Gee Bung had little separating them the next time round, with Winn Stirling making a forward move. This order remained practically unchanged for the next lap, but after the sounding of the gong, the fight for supremacy began. Gee Bung’s final challenge proved successful and he gained the verdict by a foot from Roy Bells, with six yards to Winn Stirling, McKenny’s Pride was fourth. The race throughout was a stirring one and the decision was in doubt till the judge hoisted his figures…
HARVEY CUP. (One Mile and a Half). Gee Bung, 110 yards (W. Jackson) 1; Roy Bells 15 yards. (D. Grieves) 2; Winn Stirling 105 yards. (Bailey) 3
Other starters— Brockley, scr; Yarloop, 5; Van Van, scr.; McKenny’s Pride, Willy Willy, 25; Betty Lind 45 yards; Lady Betty, 50 yards; Breezy Betty 60 yards; Timber 70 yards; False Lady 75 yards; Lady Orebelct 95 yards; Cobber 150 yards.
Betting- Evens Brockley. 2 to 1 agst Gee Bung; 5 to 2 McKenny’s Pride, 3 to 1; Yarloop or Roy Bells.
Dividends. – 25/-; 17/-; 11/-.
Won by a foot with six yards between second and third. McKenny’s Pride was fourth.
Time – 3 mins 52 secs.[3]
It is interesting to note that Gee Bung ran again at this meeting in the last race, but was unplaced.
The Pinner family left Harvey in 1934 to operate the Darling Range Hotel in Helena Valley, then the Gnowangerup Hotel until 1949. They then bought a property in Forrestfield to breed horses.
THE HORSE – GEE BUNG
Gee Bung, trotting race horse, Perth, 1929[4]
GEE BUNG was a ‘cast off’ purchased from Sydney, for 70 guineas and brought to WA in February 1929 by owner George Badcock. His arrival was reported as follows –
Gee Bung, who was brought from Sydney recently, has not yet competed here, but he has been entered for the meeting arranged for April 27. Gee Bung is an aged pacer by Don Pronto from Ribbonwood,, and is owned by G. Badcock. His performances in New South Wales since July, 1924, comprise four wins (two over a mile, and one each over a mile and a half and nine furlongs), four seconds, and three thirds. Gee Bung is by the same sire as Fullham Pronto, Stroller, Spotless, and seven other local performers.[5]
Not long after winning the Harvey Cup, it was reported in a sporting weekly that Gee Bung had scored some wins in the metropolitan area –
TRAVELS FROM HARVEY
Gee Bung is one of the few free-legged pacers we have, and he and his stable-mate, Roy Bells, are brought to the metropolis by horse float from Harvey. Gee Bung’s last three wins have been recorded at mile rates of 2.24, singularly enough, his only other victory taking 2.274. Eight starts at Harvey were rewarded by a first, two seconds and a third.[6]
Gee Bung, winner of the second race at Fremantle on Saturday night, 4 June.[7]
In Kalgoorlie in 1939 Gee Bung ended his racing days.
THE OWNER – MORTON HENRY BARKER
Morton was the father-in-law of Tom Pinner Jnr and Arthur Thornton was his grandson. In March 1931, Gee Bung was sold by AE McLean to MH Barker,[8] who later sold him to Mr GA Anderson in November 1934.[9]
MH Barker was born in Durham, England in 1871 and emigrated to Queensland in 1889. He married Dinah Gooch in 1891 and daughter Elizabeth was born in Queensland in 1892. Two other daughters died in infancy. Morton and Dinah moved to Geraldton in 1894, where he worked on the railways until 1903 when they moved to Perth. They ran hotels in Guildford and Harvey.[10] His interests in trotting probably arose from his son-in-law Tom Pinner, as he ended up owning a few horses. Dinah died in April 1943[11] and Morton died in October of the same year.[12]
THE TRAINER – THOMAS PINNER JNR
Tom Jnr, the son of Thomas Pinner Snr and Elizabeth Curtin was born in Shepparton, Victoria. In March 1901, an advertisement in the Shepparton Advertiser notified the public that there would be a total clearance sale for Mr T Pinner, who was taking his family to WA at once, to reside there permanently.[13] In WA, they lived in Subiaco were Thomas Snr was a contractor and constructed Rokeby Road. Thomas Snr owned the first pony merry-go-round in WA, which he operated on Saturdays and Sundays at Claremont with his step-son. During the week he cleared land that he had bought in Harvey.[14] Thomas, and presumably the family, was living in Harvey by April 1903 when he advertised the sale of the merry-go-round.[15]
Thomas Jnr seems to have the same energy as his father. A newspaper article by ‘Newbury’ in 1949 gives the following history of Tom and his horses:
Tom Pinner gave up hotel-keeping at Gnowangerup to become a Breeder of Pacers.
NESTLING at the base of the Darling Ranges, near Kalamunda, in the district known as Forrestfield, is the Whimsical Trotting Stud Farm. It is a 260-acre property of undulating spaces and is conducted by Mr. Tom Pinner, formerly of Harvey and Gnowangerup, who has been a strong supporter of trotting for many years. Whimsical Stud is a comparatively new venture – now two years old – and therefore cannot boast of a long list of classic winners. But the foundation already laid has been thorough, and, who knows, it may not be long before the stud produces a winner of a W.A. Trotting Cup. Tom Pinner is a man of many parts and over the last 25 years or so has been known in the South-West and Great Southern, among other things as farmer, bookmaker, cinema proprietor, hotel-keeper and horse owner. But he will tell you that being a trotting stud proprietor is the happiest experience of all. To Tom Pinner it is the fulfilment of a long-cherished dream.
For a great many years Tom Pinner was as well known at Harvey as the postmaster or the village policeman. He ran the local picture show and in his spare time he accommodated all those who had a fancy for a wager on the horse sports. Inherently fond of trotting Tom Pinner would often say: “Why not trotting at Harvey?”
Eventually, with the late Mr. E. G. Green, he called a meeting at Harvey, at which it was decided to form a trotting club. For some time the depression of 1930-33 acted as a brake on the enthusiasm of the founders, but with more prosperous times many residents of the district purchased pacers and the club soon became firmly established.
It was while he was interested in the Harvey Trotting Club that Tom Pinner visited a Perth sale and purchased Whimsical, who was to become the grand matron of his stud at Forrestfield. With Whimsical he won many races at Harvey and in the South-West. Whimsical won eight times in the country in ten starts. She raced only once at Gloucester Park, fell, and was not started again.
Whimsical was bred in New South Wales and was by Direct Argot – an imported horse from Caprice, a stylishly bred mare by Delavan Chimes from Mambrino Lass. A prolific mare, Whimsical had 14 foals – most of them born at Harvey – all of whom were winners. Her progeny included Wise General, winner of a Country Derby (held at Gloucester Park) and a Sires Produce Stakes; Valista, winner of the W.A. Trotting Derby; Lily Girl, Whimista, Sergeant Murphy, Whimaire, Playful Donald and Noble Park. The first five mentioned were fully related, being by General Mavista.
Whimsical, who went to the stud at five years of age and was 26 when she died a few months ago, was a great favourite with the Pinner family and it is fitting that her name should be per perpetuated at the stud at Forrestfield.
The selection of a sire for the Whimsical Stud Farm was not made without considerable breeding research. Eventually Tom Pinner purchased Durban, to stand at his new stud. Durban is a nicely proportioned, compact black horse, and a son of the great Lawn Derby, pacer of a mile in 1.591 2-5, and a furlong in the remarkable time of 12¼ sec, the latter probably unequalled in the world.
Lawn Derby traced back through Robert Derby and Globe Derby to Mambrino Derby, a great progenitor of trotters. On the dam’s side he was in the direct line, third removed, through Rose-lawn and Childewood, to the famous Ribbonwood. Durban’s dam, Miss Gwen, was by Don Pronto (imp.). It is something of a coincidence that the paternal grandsire of Don Pronto was Director, who was also the paternal grandsire of Direct Star, the paternal grandsire of Whimsical.
Lawn Derby had a characteristic, easy, effort-less gait and it was noteworthy that he broke records without hopples or boots. He may have inherited this partly from Don Pronto, who made many fast times free-legged. Durban has the blood to pass on these qualities and if his action in his spacious yard at the time of our visit to the Whimsical Stud is any criterion it would not surprise if he did so.
On the morning of our visit Mrs. Pinner was tempting Durban with a sheaf of lucerne and as he scampered towards her down the long enclosure it was noticeable that he maintained a smooth pacing gait. “That’s the only gait he knows,” remarked Tom Pinner with considerable satisfaction.
Four brood mares now roam the stud paddocks. They are Whimista, whose stock will carry on the Whimsical strain, Carnation Lou, dam of cup winner Superman, Radio Lot, a Tasmanian-bred mare, and Capricious. Radio Lot – who was purchased by Tom Pinner with a foal at foot, by the Tasmanian sire Electric Globe – and Whimista are now in foal to Durban. Naturally her new owner would like a foal from Carnation Lou but whether the old mare delivers again remains to be seen. She is now over 20 years of age.
Tom Pinner was born to the soil and will tell you that his father was probably the first man to grow clover for feed in the Harvey district. It’s not of much use having a stud farm without pasture and it is not surprising therefore that, where none grew before, now 220 of the 260 Pinner acres at Forrestfield are under clover.
Trotting has never lacked enthusiasts with unlimited confidence in the racing side of the sport. But all the confidence in the world in this direction would be misplaced were it not for the men who invest large sums in the industry of breeding the high-class pacers to grace the tracks. Tom Pinner is in this category. Always nurturing a soft spot for the light-harness sport, his latest venture is evidence that he has the greatest faith in the future of trotting in Western Australia. It should not be long before the Whimsical Stud is regularly turning out its share of winners.[16]
Tom Pinner’s bus service, Gordon Pinner (left) and Tom Pinner Jnr (right). Photo: Harvey History Online Collection.
THE REINSMAN – ARTHUR MORTON THORNTON (1914 – 2001)
Arthur was the eldest child of Arthur Newton Thornton and Elizabeth ‘Cissy’ Barker, born in Dinapore, India. His interest in trotting was from his grandfather, Morton Barker and step-father, Tom Pinner Jnr. Arthur enjoyed boxing, football, cricket and the trots.
When he drove Gee Bung, the winner of the 1932 Harvey Cup, he would have been 18 years old. His interest in harness racing continued his whole life. He was a radio sports commentator,[17] and for many years a well-known trotting journalist for the Perth newspapers, including the Daily News and the West Australian.
Arthur married Phyllis McPherson in 1939.[18] They had one son, Barry Thornton, who played cricket for WA in 1971-72.[19]
Arthur Thornton retained a close connection with Harvey and the Jeffries family and often visited the town. He continued his interest with the Harvey District Trotting Club Inc., by being a sponsor for many years.
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[1] Truth, 28 July 1923, p.5.
[2] WA BDM at https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-justice/online-index-search-tool, Ancestry.com.au and Births Deaths and Marriages Victoria https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au
[3] Preston Mail and District Advocate (Collie), 7 May 1932, p.1.
[4] 048763PD: Gee Bung, trotting race horse, Perth, 1929, State Library of Western Australia slwa_b6868554_1
[5] West Australian, 17 April 1929, p.4.
[6] Baileys Sporting and Dramatic Weekly (Perth), 11 June 1932, p.4
[7] Daily News, Tuesday 7 June 1932, p.4.
[8] Daily News, 19 March 1931, p.4.
[9] New Call and Bailey’s Weekly (Perth) 29 November 1934, p.11.
[10] West Australian, 2 November 1926, p.5.
[11] West Australian, 14 April 1943, p.1.
[12] West Australian, 4 October 1943, p.1.
[13] Shepparton Advertiser, (Victoria) 19 March 1901, p. 2.
[14] Melva White, The Family Tree of Thomas Pinner & Elizabeth Ann Curtain, August 2004, Harvey History Online Collection.
[15] West Australian, 4 April 1903, p. 9.
[16] Western Mail, 10 February 1949, p. 21.
[17] Sunday Times, 27 February 1955, p.17.
[18] Dalgety’s Review (Perth) 23 March 1939, p.9.
[19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Thornton_(cricketer) accessed 22 April 2024.