Veteran postman is hoping for a Bundy QGOLD delivery

By Pat McLeod

Career postman Gerard Bowe is hoping for a major delivery on Monday.

The 74-year-old, who joined the Queensland postal service as a 16-year-old, will celebrate his greatest win in 35 years of greyhound racing if his ‘self-centred’ chaser, Narkunda, can overcome a classy country field at Bundaberg on Monday.

The Fernando Bale - Slick Raven chaser will come out of the red in a $10,010-to-the winner QGOLD Final over 460 metres.

Also in the race is a litter brother, Live Stream (box five), who is owned and raced by Gerard’s nephew, Justin Bowe.

Both trainers are based at Clifton, near Toowoomba.

Bowe, who admits that age is starting to affect his training enthusiasm, predicts that if Narkunda can find some clear air early he is a good chance. But, there are ‘buts’.

“He can find trouble early,” Bowe said. 

“He needs that space early. So, if it is a clean start, he is half a chance. But, I would not declare him as a good thing.”

One thing in his favour is that of his 18 starts for six wins and two thirds, he has a ‘two-from-two’ record at the Bundaberg grass track.

“He is an easy dog to handle, but he has his own mind when it comes to racing. He likes to get his own way," the trainer said. 

“One of his strengths is that he will run out a race pretty well. If he is sitting on them, they will know he is there.

“He's one of those dogs that whatever I predict that he will do, he will probably do the opposite.”

Bowe was born and raised at Clifton, but has seen plenty of Queensland doing relief work for Australia Post. He and wife Lavella have been operating the Clifton Post Office for about 30 years.

He says he has been able to dovetail that work with greyhound training across the decades.

In recent years he has appreciated the assistance of Justin, who takes the dogs from both kennels to races and trials.

Bowe is also an example of why the recently introduced QGOLD (Queensland-bred) concept is such a hit with trainers across the state.

“I have mainly just bred and raced my own dogs over the years,” he said.

“I would breed a litter, sell half and race half. I have always just been a small operation, with just four to six dogs in the kennel.

“At the moment I have five pups and just the one race dog – Narkunda.

“When I was younger I enjoyed the training a lot. I loved the travel, going to different tracks. I never had any major success, but won enough and also was in a few Finals such as the Tweed Galaxy, I just couldn’t win one.

“These days, although it’s a bit harder the older you get, I still enjoy training, especially sitting back with a beer and looking over the dogs.

“As far as the QGOLD goes, I think it is very good, but especially for the younger people. It’s an incentive for them to get involved.”

There is certainly plenty of experience in Monday’s QGOLD Final with the likes of Ron Brook’s Fogelberg Robert Jacobsen’s Ticket To Venus and Ken Boody’s very handy Ring Me.

Yamanto trainer Peter O’Reilly has two starters in the final – Blue Rex (box two) and Booming Boo Boo (box three).

Bowe says a $10,010 windfall on Monday would be very handy and he already has plans for some of it.

“I could go and a have a counter-lunch with that and a couple of beers," he said.