October marks 35 years that intrepid photographer Dave Robbie has driven up to Christchurch from his Invercargill home base and returned on a weekly basis to take greyhound race finishes and podium photos.
Let's do the math on this absolute marathon achievement.
The round trip amounts to 1130km and takesaround 15 hours return. During the early years, Robbie used to drive the trip twice a week, when Christchurch raced early and later in the week, returning back to Invercargill in between.
That adds up to around 2000 greyhound-related trips over the years, including the "double-header", which equates to around 2,260,000km. Time-wise, how does 30,000 hours sound – or in other terms, approximately 3.5 years – solely behind the driving wheel.
"I reckon I've been through 12 vans, writing off three of them," Robbie estimated.
"I started with film cameras, which I had to develop. I used three of them before moving onto digital cameras, and I'm now up to my sixth one of those."
Asked what got the 76-year-old into taking greyhounds pictures, he responded: "Initially, it was Neil Eade who got me to take some aerial farm photos. I use to drive all around the South Island taking or delivering pics.
"Then, Merv and Bronwyn Eade asked me to take greyhound pics at the Invercargill Showgrounds. That later expanded to include Forbury Park racing.
"While there one day (1987), Rosemary Blackburn inquired about me taking photos in Christchurch (QEII), and so started the 35 years of driving State Highway 1."
He is extremely grateful to a number of Canterbury industry people who have provided him with accommodation over the years, especially Janine McCook (Jopson) and, more recently, Ray Casey.
"I'm very grateful to them. At times, I have earnt my keep by fixing vehicles, chopping up firewood and mowing lawns. I've done a fair of mechanical work on engines for a number of trainers," said the handyman.
Raceday photographer Dave Robbie has been making the Invercargill-Christchurch return trip for 35 years. Photo / Supplied
Obviously, with dual South Island meetings being held, Robbie has enlisted family help to ensure uninterrupted photo coverage.
Initially, daughter Luana was sighted at the Invercargill finish line, and then, later on, she also captured the Forbury Park finishes while dad continued to take Christchurch photographs. During the later Forbury Park days, granddaughter Brianna filled in. More recently, another daughter Kim has been responsible for taking the Ascot Park pictures.
Robbie's main accidents included being smacked up by a truck, rolling down a bank and being struck directly on his driver's door, fracturing his pelvis, requiring admission to Timaru hospital.
"I woke up in hospital following the Waimate accident. The buggars charged me with reckless driving – geez, the other fella drove straight into me. The charges were later rightfully dismissed by the judge," an indignant Robbie recalled.
"I'm still alive, so I reckon I've got a good guardian angel looking after me. I guess I've occasionally made the angel work overtime! I don't know why I continue to do it (driving). I guess I enjoy speaking to people."
He says he used to drink a fair amount of V energy drinks to help him stay awake while putting in the long hours. "In the end, the V didn't agree with my stomach – these days I pull over and have a quick nap. Yes, I've had a number of scares over the years sometimes wondering how the hell I got to certain places."
He was asked how his wife Sharyn copes with his continuous trips away. "She has been great with it all. Sharyn has moved into a retirement home – I go and visit her every Saturday."
Occasionally, Robbie has to multitask while taking his photos.
"There was a time when a dog fell at the finish line with a lap of the race to run. I grabbed it, put the dog between my legs and took the race finish photo."
He's also become an expert at taking "long-range" pics. On the odd occasion, he has been caught doing other things, and then has had to rush out to take his finish pic. Sometimes, he didn't quite make it to his soapbox, snapping the finish pic from the harness track. "You have to quickly zoom in – I still manage to get an okay pic," he chuckled.
Robbie supplements his income by carting a variety of nursery products around, including plants, bushes and ready lawn – anything that he can load away into his vans and onto trailers. More recently, he can be sighted at all Addington meetings taking track penetrometer readings.
"I reckon I've taken millions of photos over the years. I feel possibly I have another two or three years in me."
We conclude this article with a clear illustration of Dave Robbie's commitment to his race photography. Last week, during the cold snap, he left Addington at 10pm on Thursday night, with his vehicle loaded to capacity with nursery products.
"That was a long drag. I was weighted down with a huge load (van and trailer). It was as windy as hell, knocking me around a fair bit driving into it. I arrived back in Invercargill at 9am."
He was at the Ascot Park finished line to take the pic for the first race at 11.53am on Friday morning. Now that's absolute commitment.
