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OUT AHEAD: Sensei won his maiden race on New Year’s Day at Waikouaiti. PHOTO: WAYNE HUDDLESTON
HAPPIER TIMES: Jonny Pitman (right) at his brother Matt’s wedding.
Sensei shows the class to live up to Jonny’s memory By Gabrielle Stuart THERE WAS something special about Sensei – Michael Pitman knew it from the minute he set eyes on the year-old colt. Three years ago, Mr Pitman’s son, Jonny, took his own life, aged 28. Something about the yearling, which he came across while visiting sales in Sydney, brought back memories of Jonny. “He reminded me of my boy when I saw him – he’s strong, dark, goodlooking,” Mr Pitman said. “I always wanted to have a horse good enough to name after my son.” Although Mr Pitman has raised dozens of horses, he has never given one a stable nickname.
But when he goes out to work with the colt, he calls him Jonny. Last week, his faith in the horse paid off when Sensei won at the Waikouaiti New Year’s Day races.
‘I always wanted to have a horse good enough to name after my son’ – Michael Pitman
It was an emotional moment for the Pitman family, and for many others in the racing community who knew Jonny. Mr Pitman said it hit home when he heard commentator Matt Cross, who knew Jonny, announce Sensei had reached
the line “with a little help from above.” The name Sensei, which is the Japanese title for a martial arts teacher, was chosen to honour Jonny. He had represented New Zealand in judo and tae kwon do, and spent time in Japan training under martial arts masters. The first name the family considered was Pitbull, the nickname Jonny was given on the rugby league field, but that name was taken. Mr Pitman runs the Pitman Racing Stables with his son, Matt. He said they had originally planned to have a three-way partnership with Jonny. “I miss my son so badly, it doesn’t matter. Not only did he live here with us, we worked together too,” he said.
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One of the horses he and Jonny trained together, No Emotion, also raced on New Year’s Day, finishing third in the Waikouaiti Cup. He said Jonny had been very intelligent and good at almost everything he did, but had struggled with depression. Trying to come to terms with his son’s death had been incredibly difficult, he said. “For the first six months not a day went by without the old ‘why or what if’,” he said. “But I won’t judge what my son choose to do. I hate what it did to us, but at the end of the day it was his decision.” He said there was a big stigma around discussing suicide, but he hoped that would change. •Turn to page 5
starnews.co.nz
Job loss fear as hospital faces budget woes By Gabrielle Stuart HOSPITAL STAFF could face job losses this year, as the health board plans to cut at least $9 million from its staff budget. The cut is part of the Canterbury District Health Board’s efforts to balance its books, as it faces a $38.5 million shortfall this year. The planned cut would take effect from July. On top of that, a Government review of the CDHB finances has recommended it cut the projected staff budget by a further $98.6 million over the next five years. CDHB board chairman Murray Cleverley said it had not yet been decided if job cuts would be needed, but he would not rule them out. “Once again our expectations are that we will continue to move and shift our organisation as needed,” he said. He said the health board would meet later this month to discuss the recommended budget cuts. He hoped money could be saved in other ways, and said the CDHB had saved money in the past by transferring services from hospital staff to GPs, who could do the work cheaper. •Turn to page 3
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