Victorian harness racing is mourning the passing of Noel Ridge, a brilliant volunteer whose passion for the sport has provided it with an ever-lasting legacy.
Ridge, who passed today at age 76, was the driving force behind the Victorian Harness Racing Heritage Collection at Bendigo, an extraordinary historic record that reflects his devotion to the trots.
Harness Racing Victoria chair Dale Monteith said the sport had lost a great friend who above all “was just a wonderful human being”.
“His positivity shone through and he gave so much to harness racing,” Monteith said. “Looking at his record and what he has collected, he was a beacon in harness racing.”
Ridge’s love of the trots stemmed from high school, when a friend introduced him to the sport and before long he was a regular at Bendigo’s Lords Raceway.
That interest only magnified with his marriage to Heather, whose great uncle Joe Hillier had bred and owned top class horses, including Inter Dominion heat placegetter Dauntless Peter. Regaling in those glories and exploring the families of the Hillier’s horses would lead to a life-long passion for Victorian harness racing, its champions and its origins.
By trade a teacher, literary consultant and principal, Ridge’s commitment to education included a 16-year stint in the United States from 1993-2009, when he satisfied his harness racing passion with regular visits to The Meadowlands, Yonkers and Freehold.
He would return to Bendigo and rekindle his connection with Victorian harness racing, serving on the Bendigo Owners Trainers Drivers Association and later, in 2011, Bendigo Harness Racing Club committee.
In 2015 he helped institute an initially modest heritage collection under the Lords’ Raceway grandstand that, driven by his commitment and countless hours of dedication, would soon become a monument to the sport.
In 2019 he was also appointed to the Victorian Harness Racing Hall of Fame selection committee, helping further highlight and honour the greats of the past.
This commitment to the sport was celebrated, with Ridge awarded a Harness Racing Australia Meritorious Service Award in 2020 as well as being a three-time winner of Joseph Coulter Media Awards for a book and historical features for thetrots.com.au.
“He was a gem, a unique individual,” Monteith said, reflecting on the passion for harness racing's heritage he shared with Ridge. “We are where we are because of the people who went before us and in the kindest way possible Noel reminded everyone of that. We are custodians and Noel captured that.”
Bendigo Harness Racing Club president Paul Best said the club was deeply saddened by Ridge’s passing.
“He is a valuable member of the committee and has been the driving force behind the heritage collection,” Best said. “It’s very sad, we've lost a great friend and member.”
Harness Racing Victoria extends its condolences to Ridge’s wife Heather, his family and many friends.