The bells of St Mary’s cathedral rang out 87 times after the state funeral of Bart Cummings, a racehorse trainer who became a national hero after a record-breaking 12 Melbourne Cup wins.
All the trappings of a state funeral were on display, including two police horses standing guard outside Sydney’s city cathedral as hundreds of mourners, many of whom had never met him, filed in.
The governor general, Sir Peter Cosgrove, the New South Wales governor, David Hurley, the NSW premier, Mike Baird, and a former prime minister, Bob Hawke, were among the rows of dignitaries who came to honour a legend of Australian sport.
Cummings’s extraordinary success in the sport of kings was celebrated at length, but it was his commitment to his large family that was at the heart of the service.
Cummings was married to Valmae for 61 years and they had five children. The couple shared a strong Catholic faith, attending mass weekly until he became too frail and then welcoming the clergy at home in the final days.
On Monday Valmae sat in a wheelchair front and centre in the vast cathedral looking at two giant portraits of her husband, a face few Australians would not recognise. The thick white hair, the bushy eyebrows and the smile were all well known even to those not fond of a punt.
Cummings’s four surviving children, Margaret, Sharon, Anthony and Anne-Marie, and their families took turns in comforting Valmae. The youngest family member, Bart’s first great granddaughter Adeline, is just a babe in arms.
“When on Sunday morning, 30 August, Bart Cummings died, surrounded by his loving family, he was well prepared to face his creator, having gladly received the sacrament of the anointing of the sick twice in his last 10 days,” Father Adrian Meaney said.
“It was from his home on the banks of the Nepean river, filled with scent of nearby gum trees and his prized horses resting in the paddocks nearby, that Bart finished his race of life.
“He had run his course with great courage. He was returning to his father, to be at home with the God of surprises.”
Son Anthony Cummings, who has followed his father into the business, struggled to get through his eulogy. He choked back the tears as he said he had never had a blue with his dad, a man who was so special even he, his son, held him in awe.
“Dad spent time with king and queens, prime minister, premiers and the common man,” Anthony said. “Treated all equally and gave them time.
“In the end, dad was more than a horseman. An icon, a legend, all of that. Built from flames and hardship to go with success. Bob Hawke described him as a great and good Australian. Enough said.”
The worldly achievements of James Bartholomew Cummings AM, known as “the cup king” in the racing world, were honoured by the inclusion of a powerful secular object: the Melbourne Cup won in 1996 by Saintly.
The gleaming trophy was blessed by Anthony Fisher, the archbishop of Sydney, and placed on the table of sacred objects next to the coffin.
Fisher, who conducted the two-hour service, said some in the congregation would remember Bart’s records and achievements but the church welcomed him as a Christian soul who had led an exemplary life.
“Australians like success in sport, and so even the shyest racehorse trainer was bound to become a national figure if he trained 12 Melbourne Cup winners,” Fisher said.
“All knew his green and gold colours and looked forward to his wry comments in interviews, especially around the time of the race that stops the nation.
“Bart was revered by Australians of every sort from the cabbies who took him to Flemington and Randwick, to leaders of government and industry who liked to be seen with him — even, I’m told, that great Her Majesty the Queen.”
In his homily Meaney paid tribute to Cummings the family man: “One of the great achievements of Bart’s life is his marriage of 61 years. He met Val Baker while attending a Catholic youth group in Adelaide. Their complemented each other, being both strong characters, though by nature, both rather reserved.
“Bart had a whimsical sense of humour and he never seemed to take himself too seriously. His associates recognised that he was able to honestly face complex issues with patience. He possessed an innate ability to understand horses as well as those immediately associated with horses. Fortunately, his legacy is in safe hands as members of his family, with his blessing, have already stepped into his shoes.”
For a naturally shy man, who dealt with the ever-present media by perfecting the dry one-liner, it was a very public farewell.
