News
Sad to report the passing of a true Southland legend – Jamie Searle. Jamie passed away on Thursday after suffering from an aggressive form of stomach cancer and at far too young an age.
For those not in the know, Jamie was the long-time racing scribe for The Southland Times and established a lifelong interest in horses and racing at an early age.
As a sign of the times, the racing page disappeared along with many other feature pages, but Jamie more than proved his worth moving on to general reporting, which by all accounts he excelled at.
However, Jamie was not slow to grab an opportunity, and he started his own racing website back in 2000. But it wasn’t long before he was back at his desk at The Southland Times, where he stayed until more recent times.
Since leaving The Southland Times, Jamie went back to writing about racing on his popular Southland Thoroughbreds Facebook page. Just who is going to keep that going remains to be seen.
Former colleague and close friend Logan Savory just recently wrote an in-depth article summing up Jamie’s life – check it out here: https://southlandtribune.substack.com/p/a-proud-southlander-support-flows
As a tribute to his contribution to racing, a piece of lawn that greets racegoers at Ascot Park in Invercargill is now known as the “Jamie Searle Lawn”. Searle was aware of this before he passed away and was very humbled and honoured to be remembered by the local racing community.
Jamie Searle was 61.
RIP Jamie Searle
Another legend we lost in May was well-known lawyer Peter Galt. A founding figure in prominent legal practice Hewat Galt.
In a tribute from Hewat Galt, it was said Peter was a much-loved member of our community, a man of great intellect, generosity and warmth. A founding figure of Hewat Galt, he played a significant role in shaping the firm and the lives of those who worked with him.
Beyond the law, Peter made lasting contributions through his involvement in Rotary, where he was a lifetime member. He was passionate about motorsport, taught at SIT for many years, and built friendships across all walks of life.
The tribute went on to say that an avid reader with a keen interest in history and politics, Peter was always fascinating to talk to – his mind as full as the piles of books around his favourite chair.
RIP Hewat Galt.