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Mount Mist and Doctor Mick
Harness & Greyhounds
JayJay
7,629 posts
I wonder if any on this forum would recognise the name Dr M.S. Lekias (Michael but known to all as "Mick"). Fortunately for me, 'Uncle" Mick as he was known to to all of us, was our family GP for decades and decades, operating from his surgery on Albany Highway in Bentley, opposite Diesel Motors. His name features in this morning's Death Notices in The West.
There were many strings to Mick's bow.....his father, later to become a famous seafood restauranter, started off life in WA as the proprietor of the Swan Cafe in Northam in 1929, and then onto the Sydney Cafe when they shifted to Perth......two of the sons went down the food pathway (The Oyster Bar, Simon's etc), the other two, John and Mick, down the medicine pathway. John became a famous spine surgeon and Mick became a hugely loved and admired GP. He was also the East Perth Footy Club doctor around the time of Polly, he was Doctor to many of the trotting fraternity from both sides of the river, a keen fan of GP and any where else a race was run and a consultation in his surgery nearly always reverted to a study of the form guide for the Saturday night trots once the prescription for Bott's Chemist was written. Is it worth mentioning there was a very handy SP shop behind the barbers not more than 250 yards from the surgery?
Anyone down on their luck (our family included) frequently received generous largesse (no Medicare in those days) in the form of 'don't worry about the bill, just do as I say and get well." He became an owner and his best horse, Mount Mist, raced through the classes to Free For All company in the hands of Alan Woodworth and Phil Coulson, and a visit to the Lekias Family Home always included a showing of the Navy Cup won by Mount Mist at Richmond Raceway in 1968, ploughing through the mud for Phil on a shocker of a night weather wise. My dad was the timekeeper and Mick put him through the 3rd degree questioning the very slow mile rate. "They don't pay any more for a win in fast time Mick" was the conversation ender.
Mick was also the Mayor of Canning for years and years and was afforded Freeman Status (Keys to the City) for his service. We are not sure how old he was ....discussions this morning suggested he was 90 plus.....but he will be fondly remembered. When a family member was in the latter stages of a terminal illness, Mick would attend at the drop of a hat, a famous visit at 3.30am in the morning to administer pain relief was highlighted by his attire......pyjamas and dressing gown offset with leather shoes and socks and his leather doctors case full of administrations. I am afraid that house visits are a thing of the past nowadays but nothing was too much trouble for Uncle Mick. Many old time trotting blokes tipped out at trackwork without two bob to their name would attest to that.
+1 -1
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Never knew George Sortrashad him early days @msmcbride78 but a lot of Uncle Mick's early horses were with Bob. He was bred by Norm Duncan and the mare Meadow Mist was a pretty good producer. Meadow Hall and Anthony Mist were full brothers, I think Norm Grant had one or both of them.
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