15 A few months after Bill had been given the book, Iolanda asked him if he had read it. Bill, who Iolanda sometimes referred to as Bill the Bastard, had to sheepishly admit that he had not. Suitably chastised, Bill then opened the book, and could not put it down. Captivated by the story, Bill decided that he would recreate the Jericho Cup in honour of Australian service personnel, in particular the Light Horsemen and their brave mounts, the Walers. Bill’s vision, passion, determination and no-nonsense can-do attitude meant that once he set his mind to something it invariably came to fruition. So it was with the Jericho Cup. Bill, who had been a regular at the May Carnival for decades, was adamant he wanted the race to be run at Warrnambool. The modern Jericho Cup was run for the first time on Sunday 2 December 2018. And true to Bill’s conviction that he would “get a field”, in each year there has been a consolation race for those horses who do not make it into the Cup field. Bill’s generosity was legendary, and was in no way limited to Warrnambool or the wider racing industry. In a deeply moving tribute at Bill’s funeral Iolanda quipped “I thought we’d end up on the pension because he was giving it all away.” One further example is that when the Rats of Tobruk could no longer afford the upkeep of their Albert Park headquarters where they had gathered for nearly 50 years Bill outbid property developers to buy the property. He then told the Rats that they could stay in the property as long as they needed it. It is no exaggeration to say that Bill Gibbins is one of the most significant and treasured people in the 153 year history of the Warrnambool Racing Club. Bill and Iolanda are both life members of the Warrnambool Racing Club and Bill was inducted into the WRC Hall of Fame in 2024. Jericho Cup day will not feel the same this year, but it will be a further and important opportunity to honour and celebrate Bill’s memory. Mark McNamara: April 2026
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