RICHARD TURNBULL
Hardly a word of this made its way into the public realm, as Turnbull was very much a private man. He and his wife Emily had been quietly philanthropic, notably through Red Cross and Scots Church, Melbourne, while she served as president of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. They had three children of their own. Their two sons were killed during the war. Flying Officer John Turnbull with the RAAF, a former elite oarsman, was killed in an aerial operational accident in the Netherlands East Indies, in January 1942 aged 24. Lt William ‘Mack’ Turnbull, with the British Royal Artillery and then with a Gurkha regiment, was killed in action in Burma a year later, January 1943, just short of his twenty-first birthday. And then Richard’s nephew, RAAF Flying Officer Henry Hume Turnbull, was lost over Norway in October 1944, aged 21. The news reached the family around the time of Sirius’s win in the Melbourne Cup. Post-war, there was more sorrow. In March 1948, Mrs Turnbull flew to London for the wedding of daughter Anne to Major Martin Clemens but died soon after her arrival, days before the scheduled ceremony. These were the private griefs of Richard Turnbull, yet he continued his work and advocacy for Victoria’s racing. We can understand why his Committee chose to honour him in this way. Taking the long view, the Turnbull Stakes symbolises the VRC’s determination that through the best and through the worst of times, spring is always Spring at Flemington.
Prime Minister Ben Chifley speaking to winning jockey of the 1947 Victoria Derby, Darby Munro. Munro rode Beau Gem to victory sporting the colours of winning owner George W. Badman (right), wearing a hat and glasses, holding the winning sash. Next to him in the top hat and overcoat is VRC Chairman Richard Turnbull. On the left is Beau Gem’s trainer, George Jesser.
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