Pony Wagon Driver Catches the Racing Bug

Born in Wetaskiwin, Garry Dorchester was the eldest son of the legendary Tom Dorchester and grew up traveling the professional chuckwagon circuit with his parents and siblings.  During his relatively short thirteen year career as a chuckwagon driver from 1966 to 1979, Garry won fourteen races, a Central Alberta Chuckwagon Championship, a World Chuckwagon Championship and placed inside the top ten in the world standings nine times, a pretty impressive record. 

As a teenager and in his early twenty's Garry worked in lumber camps and on oil rigs in the winter but still spent his summers traveling the chuckwagon circuit with his parents, helping his dad and competing as a pony wagon driver.  Garry didn’t really show too much interest in driving a chuckwagon. That changed in 1964 when his father was hurt while racing during a stop in Ontario.  Garry filled in and caught the bug for driving.  At age twenty-three, it was a late start for a driver but with his father’s outfit Garry won three Ontario stops.  Garry started driving his own chuckwagon outfit in 1966 and had a respectable rookie year finishing the season in eighth place in the world standings.  In his second season, Garry won two races, was runner-up at the Calgary Stampede and finished the year in third place in the world standings.   

Filling in for his Father, Garry Wins Three Races

1968, Garry’s third year on the circuit, was a banner year as Garry won both the Calgary Stampede and the World Chuckwagon Championship.  The 1968 Calgary Stampede was special for the Dorchester family as it was the first time that four Dorchesters would compete at the Rangeland Derby in the same year.  Garry joined his father, Tom, and brothers, Dennis and Dallas, in the event and although Garry was the last of the four Dorchester's to make their first start at the Stampede, he was the first Dorchester to win the coveted championship.