Episode 341: Graham McNeice

In keeping with our nostalgia format over the holiday break, here comes one of our favourite podcasts from 2019 with much loved Sydney media icon Graham McNeice. At the time this interview was recorded, Shadow had just finished his latest documentary The Masters Apprentice- the career of legendary jockey mentor Theo Green. He says the doco had been twenty years in the making.

Graham explains how a copy of The Masters Apprentice can be accessed from the website.

The man’s famous nickname The Shadow is universally known around the industry. Not everybody knows how he got the tag. Graham explains.

He looks back on his early life as one of six children growing up in the inner city suburb of Croydon Park where his father Syd had a butcher’s shop. Syd hoped Graham would follow in his footsteps.

Syd and Marion operated another flourishing little business within the confines of the shop. 

Graham talks about his father’s friendship with Frank Kennedy who was a prominent figure in the Sydney fight game. Frank later began calling greyhound racing for 2KA Katoomba and took young McNeice under his wing. That led Frank to a job calling the dogs for 2UE and Graham tagged along.

Before long Graham was appointed full time understudy to 2UE race caller Des Hoysted. He’d call a race or two at the midweek gallops, and fill in whenever Des was unavailable.

Shadow still dines out on a funny story involving his trip to the 1973 Bong Bong Cup. He talks of his involvement with the popular Ch 7 Sunday program Punters Post Mortem.

He remembers with deep sadness the loss of his great friend and mentor Frank Kennedy in the mid 1970’s.

Shadow looks back on his days as course commentator at the Harold Park dogs. He pays a special tribute to champion sprinter Roman Earl.

He takes us back to the beginning of his long association with Channel 10. He started as a part time producer, but that quickly led to a more permanent role.

The veteran was one of the pioneers of satellite sports television in Australia. He was the founding Executive Producer at Club Super Station. He looks back on a breakaway bid by the Kembla Grange race club to go exclusively with the satellite channel.

Graham looks back on the beginning of Skychannel under the ownership of Alan Bond. The burgeoning company had a low key beginning in Perth, but McNeice played a part in having the operation moved to Sydney. He looks back on a nine year hosting role on Sky when the races were beamed into pubs and clubs only.

Shadow reflects on the history making day in 1998 when the races were broadcast into homes for the very first time. He looks back fondly on a twelve year stint as host of the popular Sunday morning programme Racing Retro.

He speaks fondly of the many sports documentaries produced by his company Shadow Productions. He makes special mention of a few favourites.

If you missed this podcast in 2019, here’s your chance to catch up. It’s a lovely stroll down memory lane with one of Australia’s great storytellers.