By David Brasch

FAHEY Carrall is almost 92, still drives herself about Casino to doctors appointments and the like, but also depends on the help of her just-retired son Peter.

When Peter took early retirement from his job in Sydney after 33 years in the city, he bought himself a home at Evan\’s Head, but moved in with his mum as her carer.

And mum was not having Peter sit around all day doing nothing.

She talked him into getting a greyhound to train.

And, midway through October Peter landed his first ever winner when giveaway Miss Khatanga won first-up in a 431m Novice at Ipswich.

\”It is only a hobby, but it is a love of greyhounds my family has had for many, many years,\” said Peter.

Peter said his mum\’s grandfather had raced greyhounds many decades ago.

\”I grew up in Casino and from the time I was eight years old, I was helping walk dogs for our neighbours,\” said Peter. \”I\’d go galloping and swimming them most days.\”

Peter moved to Sydney at 18 and worked for Telstra and then Breville.

\”I was a regular at the dogs and horses in Sydney,\” he said of his 33-year stint there.

When his mother prompted Peter to go searching for a dog or two ‘as a hobby’, he went off to Casino track and started talking to the locals.

He soon met up with regular Shaun Speading, who gave him Miss Khatanga.

She\’d won a race at Bathurst back in November last year, but had to pass a stewards trial before Peter could race her.

\”I let her settle in, gave her a lot of walking and swimming, and she passed the stewards trial so she was ready to race,\” he said.

\”I thought it might suit her to race on a bigger track, so I put her in at Ipswich for her return to racing,\” said Peter.

And up came his first winner.

\”I just like seeing the dog go around,\” said Peter. \”It was my first time ever to Ipswich and I must say the people were so very, very helpful. I\’ve been to a lot of dogs tracks in my time, but never to Ipswich.\”

By the time Peter got home, mum had taped the race and replays of the win were plentiful.

\”It\’s still going to be a hobby and two dogs in the kennel will be enough,\” said Peter. \”Mum comes down to the kennels to see the dogs.\”

A lifetime of handling greyhounds and going racing fitted Peter Carrall for his introduction to training … and his first ever winner.

Caption: Peter Carrall with his debut winner, Miss Khatanga, at Ipswich in mid-October (Photo: Just Greyhounds Photos)