JOCKEYS throughout Australia wore black arm bands as a tribute to Queensland country jockey Shane McGovern who died on Saturday after a freak accident.
Not long after McGovern was moved into palliative care he succumbed to horrific injuries suffered after being trapped under a dead horse for up to six hours at Charters Towers last month. McGovern had been riding track work when the horse suddenly collapsed and died from an aneurysm, pinning him underneath. He wasn’t discovered until hours later by his wife and trainer Kim.
Sadly, the 67-year-old jockey underwent two amputations at Townsville Hospital – first losing his left leg below the knee and then, just two weeks later, requiring a second leg amputation. Doctors were unable to control serious complications that followed.
McGovern, who is survived by Kim and children Col, Chad and Dion, came from New Zealand but made his mark in many parts of Australia, including the picnic circuit in Victoria. Shane and wife Kim travelled extensively, preparing their team of horses wherever they settled. In recent times, they had been based at Charters Towers after stints in Longreach and Yeppoon.
Soon after McGovern’s accident, the Queensland Jockeys’ Association established a GoFundMe to support his family which had raised in excess of $84,000 at the time of his death. That GoFundMe remains open for donations which will support Kim and his children.
