Peter McCann, the last of the present-day greyhound trainers living in Glebe, the spiritual home of the sport, died on Monday night following complications from heart surgery.
Greyhound racing began in Australia at Harold Park in 1927, and Peter McCann always told friends he had been just "over the hill" 23 years later.
He rarely left his beloved Glebe, and once related that when he was growing up "everyone in the suburb seemed to have either greyhounds or racing pigeons.''
Peter McCann was born into the sport as his father Jack, who died when Peter was just six years old, had trained a Harold Park winner, while Peter's older brother Ken was also involved in the sport.
When I interviewed Peter several years ago, he remembered "learning the ropes" as the 'strapper' for a neighbour, Jim Kenny, who had 10 dogs in work, a large team in those days.
"By the time I was 15 I had scraped up enough pocket money to buy my first puppy, who raced as Mitzy Mac,'' McCann remembered.
"Of course, I was too young to be listed as her owner-trainer so racing in the name of my mother, Sally McCann, Mitzy Mac gave me my first winner when she took out a 700m Mixed Stakes at Goulburn.
"Back then there was a group of us exercising our greyhounds around the streets of Glebe, people like Barry Williams, Kevin Nesbitt, Bob Turner and Roy Gordon.
"When I was having trouble putting condition on Mitzy Mac, Roy Gordon advised me to feed her mutton flaps, and it worked.
"In the late 1970s New To Me became my first city winner, while soon after I won a 720m Rising Star final at Wentworth Park with Little Receiver.''
While a group one winner eluded McCann, he enjoyed consistent success over the years with greyhounds like Wentworth Park winner Dad's Ambition, who won eight races, Single Hit, Some Folks, Gas Meter and Rumble Ranger, who was bred by famous Northern Rivers trainer Steve Kavanagh.
Rumble Ranger was a litter brother to Kavanagh's mighty dog Louis Rumble, a winner of 31 from 61 starts.
Kavanagh, who trained the champion Brother FOX, revealed that it was Peter McCann who sparked his interest in greyhounds.
"When he was in his late teens Peter came to Dubbo playing football and I was living there in those days,'' Kavanagh recalled.
"We became friends while he was in Dubbo and it was his enthusiasm for greyhound racing which got me involved in the sport.
"In recent years, whenever I came to Sydney to race dogs at Wentworth Park, Peter was always there to help me with them on trial and race nights.''
GRNSW wishes to extend its sincere condolences to the friends and family of Peter McCann, who is survived by his wife Christine, daughters Holly and Megan, and son Matt.
