One of the sport's greats Pam Heasman dies at 85
Pam Heasman: died May 2010
PICTURE: Steve NashPAM HEASMAN, the successful trainer, breeder and former secretary of the Greyhound Trainers' Association, died in May 2010 in hospital in King's Lynn. She was 85.
Her long-time friend Pat Quinn, who broke the news, described her as "a lovely lady who was totally dedicated to her greyhounds". He said her passing was the end of an era.
"Pam was the last of the old school," said Quinn. "And as my son David said, she's probably now talking greyhounds up above with Stan Gudgin, Paddy Milligan and Noreen Collin."
Quinn, who was with Heasman for 38 years, said she would be forever recognised as one of the sport's great stud keepers, with the respect of everyone in the game.
That recognition was borne out in 2005 when Heasman won a Services to Greyhound racing honour at the BGRG Awards. Too frail to make the trip to London, she thanked everyone via video address.
"I was there, of course, and it was one of the most emotional nights of my life," added Quinn, "even though we had some fun recording it to the camera. She wouldn't be used to that sort of thing!"
Heasman received a standing ovation that night for her service to the sport, which had begun as a young woman when she was head girl to the trainer Stanley Biss at Denver Lodge, Nazeing.
After Heasman had taken over at the Essex kennels, she worked as a private trainer for many years before acceptinga contract at Hackney and then Wembley. She never retired, as such.
"Pam wouldn't give up her licence, and we still had runners at Henlow up to last year,” said Quinn. “But it wasn't just training or breeding that gave her satisfaction, the GTA was also important to her too."
A long-time GTA secretary for chairmen like John Coleman andPaddy Milligan, Heasman was also a founding member of the British Breeders’ Forum with Milligan, Collin, Nick Savva and Bob Gilling.
She and Quinn moved to kennels in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, in 2000 where she continued to stand leading stud dogs and train open-race and graded runners.
She was associated with a host of big-race winners, but one sticks out in the mind of Quinn, and has relevance to Saturday's williamhill.com Derby final at Wimbledon.
"Pam trained a dog called Super Orange, who had made his name over hurdles but cameback on to the flat and won a Classic, the 1962 Gold Collar,” he explained.
"Barrowside, who was second in the Derby, was only other dog to win a Classic coming off the hurdles. Maybe Dolores's [Ruth] Toomaline Jack will be the third at the weekend."
Quinn concluded: "Greyhounds were her life, and she achieved so much, even being a director of the NGRC at one point. It has been an absolute privilege to have spent so long with her."
