Larrikin, leader, legend: Mildura club remembers maverick Max

The Mildura Harness Racing Club is paying tribute to one of its most passionate advocates – the late Max Thorburn – with a race series in his honour beginning tomorrow afternoon (June 27).

The Max Thorburn Memorial is a fitting tribute to a man whose voice, spirit and character were synonymous with the trots in Mildura, Wentworth and Broken Hill for decades. The four heats will lead into the final next Friday, July 5.

Close friends rallied to establish the memorial series to formally recognise Thorburn’s lifetime of contributions — not just to harness racing, but to sport, broadcasting and community life across the Mildura region.

Thorburn, a journalist who began his media career writing football reviews at the age of 13, was a storyteller, a character, and a larger-than-life figure who never did things by halves. Whether it was through calling races, fighting for community causes or helping keep the music playing on local radio, Max was always about giving something back to his community.

As a race caller, his passion for all three codes — gallops, greyhounds and trots — was unmistakable, but harness racing always held a special place in his heart.  He was a correspondent for the Trotting Register, the Trotting Weekly and covered racing for the Sydney Sun Herald. He dabbled in ownership, racing a pacer with Mildura trainer Don Bruce, and was a regular and enthusiastic competitor in “celebrity challenge” harness races that were popular in Mildura in the 1970s and 80s.

Long-term friend and colleague in journalism and council Glenn Milne said Thorburn’s unique commentary style echoed through the Mildura City Oval circuit on race and trials nights on a regular basis in the 1970s, 80s and 90s.

“Max was passionate about a lot of things, but his number one passion was horses and his family will be so grateful to the club for doing this – they’ll be very touched that Max has been shown this respect,” Milne said.

“He had an incredible memory – he could tell you instantly the number of races he’d called at any track over the years. He had all sorts of facts and figures at his fingertips.  I used to call him ‘The Oracle’!” Milne said.

Thorburn, who passed away aged 72 in October 2018 after a long battle with cancer, was a Mildura councillor for nearly a decade, the founder of the Mildura community radio station Hot FM, and the driving force behind establishing the Mildura Country Music Festival.

He was inducted into the Australian Country Music Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame and awarded a life membership of the Sunraysia Football and Netball League for his tireless support of local sport.

Thorburn loved nothing better than to challenge the status quo. After being denied a radio licence, he famously broadcast illegally for 77 days — an act of defiance that cost him a court appearance and a $1 fine, and ultimately led to him being granted a licence a decade later.

He remained a passionate champion of independent voices and regional media throughout his life, also establishing the long-running Mildura Independent newspaper.

Max believed life was full of imperfect people, and that every day offered a new chance to do better. The inaugural Max Thorburn Memorial will celebrate that same spirit — passionate, colourful, and unmistakably one of a kind.

“Max would be so rapt to have a series named after him – the only thing he’d be upset about is not being able to commentate the races!” Milne said.

See the full fields for the Mildura fixture here: 

From Terry Gange for Harnesslink