By BRIDGET SCOTT
MYSTERY surrounds the tragic death of harness driver Danielle Lewis, who has been decribed by friends as a ‘good, hard-working girl’ days after her demise on Monday.
Around 7.10am on Monday 15 September, the harness trainer was found unconscious in a garden bed at the Cranbourne Harness Racing Training Centre.
Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) confirmed the 28-year-old’s death and said she had “so much to offer.”
Police and WorkSafe are investigating, with Harness Racing Victoria unable to shed much light on the incident.
However, the group chief executive officer John Anderson has praised the trainer’s hard work and commitment to the industry.
“Danielle’s great passion in life was for training horses,” Mr Anderson said.
“It’s a tragic loss for the industry and my sympathies go out to the tight-knit Cranbourne harness racing community, who had to deal with this awful tragedy yesterday.”
“HRV will announce further tributes to Danielle as the week progresses.”
Harness drivers will wear black arm bands during the week as a tribute to the trainer.
Friend and fellow trainer Simone Walker said Danielle was a “really good worker.”
Danielle lived at Simone’s parent’s property in Pearcedale for the past 12 months.
Simone said Danielle was “always the first one there, and always the last to leave” at the training centre, and described her as a friend like no other.
“She was a hard person to get to know, but once she made you her friend, she would have gone to the end of the earth for you,” Simone said.
“If she had your back, you had no problem at all.”
Simone’s father Bill said Danielle came into their life around 12 months ago with a few of her own issues, but everything had just started to go well.
“She came to us a bit of an angry woman, but settled into family life,” he said.
“The last few couple of months she blossomed as a young lady.”
“It was a tragedy to see it happen, especially when things had started to go well.”Mr Walker, also a harness trainer, believed that Danielle grew up in New South Wales and went back as a mature aged student to obtain her VCE.
He said her life was always on the move and “she was very much a mystery girl for a long while.”
Mr Walker said his family met her at the trots and before he knew it, his daughter had become very close with Danielle.
He said she was “learning and prepared to learn all the time,” and added with a laugh that “you didn’t want to get on her bad side.
“She had a gentle nature, but if you stirred her up, she’d fire back,” he said.
Danielle experienced great success with a horse called Kiss Kenny that she drove for another trainer.
Simone said she had “an infinity with her” and “it just went for her.”
Mr Walker said she worked well with the young horses and did a lot of work with unraced horses.
“Danielle didn’t like driving as much as training,” he said.
“I had convinced her to start to drive her own lately, that was the plan for this season.”
