May'07 - Greyhounds Queensland

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THAT Rod Hegerty could be a bit of a pest. Rod, who in latter days owned a hotel in Manilla, was a pretty handy dog man when training in Queensland in the 70s. You'll remember it was Rod who trained My Marvel who dead-heated with my dog Royal Sydney in Mackay on opening night. So when it came to the opening of the Bundaberg track in 1977, I decided to head north with my champ Solar Beach. "Lady" as she was known around home, would become the greyhound of the year in Queensland in 1978. I took her up to Bundy for a 550m race on opening night and thought she was a good thing. We were all there, the usual desperates, me, my dad Perc, the punter Pat Goddard and our travelling foreman Les Thomas. So You Want to be a Greyhound Contact: GRA of Qld on (07) 32627800 or PO Box 250 Albion, Q, 4010 Syd Norris Memories Les was originally down from Bundaberg to play league for Redcliffe. He had quite a few seasons at the Dolphins and still lives on the Peninsula today. We even tempted Les into a few syndicates. Les loved a punt, and was pretty good at it. Trainer All New! Greyhound Training Book Unfortunately on opening night we all left it in. That Rod Hegerty came down from Mackay with a little bitch called Truly Lorna. She had already run a track record at Mackay and was very smart. Not as smart as Solar Beach ... at least we thought. $22 (incls GST) plus $5 Postage and Handling Truly Lorna sped out and led throughout in the 550m top grade with Solar Beach flashing up late (too late) to get second. We'd done our money. Opening night at Bundaberg was the second biggest crowd of any greyhound track first night I've seen, behind only the Gabba. Ray Gherke the club secretary and his committee did a great job. Everything went so smoothly. We would also stay overnight at a local motel at Bundaberg. The motel owner even had moveable kennels for us to keep the dogs in. David Keep was a regular at Bundaberg soon after and had a lot of success on the track. His former top dog Wings Of Steel won the Derby, from memory, on the track. I called David the "Marathon Man" because he would drive to Bundaberg, race his dogs, and then drive straight home. I'm even sure he did the same at a meeting at Rockhampton. I see these days he's racing a bit at Lismore. That would be a stroll in the park for Keepie. Opening night was a surprise because I ran into two former league teammates who I had not seen since 1959 when I played with them at Lismore. They are Rex McGlynn and Rex Achurch. McGlynn, a Queensland centre in his hayday, was player-coach at Lismore, and Achurch was the fullback. I trained a couple of dogs for McGlynn's mother Blanche. They were Miss Tinana and My Vicky and both were pretty handy. My Vicky was eventually sold to Sydney after she had been beaten a nose in the Distance Championship at Beenleigh by Narara Miss. The buyer flew up, paid us in cash, and flew home with the bitch. Before he left, the buyer offered to put me up in Sydney if I wanted to come down for a holiday. A short time later, we heard the buyer was involved with a Sydney brothel. My dad Perc reckoned I might have had the best holiday of my life. I declined the offer. I was given Miss Tanana after she had been trained by John Wallace ... yes, the John Wallace of thoroughbred training fame. John's parents were always at the dog track with their boy. I didn't even know Rex Achurch was involved in greyhounds until I saw him at that Bundaberg opening night. But Rex is still there today and has been turning out plenty of winners for decades. The overnight stays at Bundaberg were great nights, specially if we won a race or two. We had a couple of mates, Les Thomas' dad Norm and his mate Wally The Whale. They were fishermen and we were always guaranteed a feed of prawns and crabs with a cold one to wash it down. Racing was a lure for Brisbane trainers in those days, specially when the betting ring was strong and we could earn a quid. Bundaberg was infamous in the 70s when an elaborate electrical device was found in the seven and eight boxes at the 550m start. It was operated by switches on a post near the outside fence. It was uncovered prior to a race meeting, but police surveillance caught no one. The (May, 2007) Journal Page 30
Brad Newman GBOTA News AFGBOTA For those who don’t know AFGBOTA stands for the Australian Federation of Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Associations. The annual conference was held early last month to coincide with the Golden Easter Egg at Wentworth Park and was hosted once again by the NSW GBOTA. (Many thanks to our fantastic hosts.) The conference is an opportunity to discuss national and state based issues as well as innovations, marketing, welfare and fund raising. By learning from our state counterparts we return all the wiser equipped with information, direction and enthusiasm. I would like to thank the GRAQ and BGRC for their contributions to the conference. With the GRAQ being very helpful with any request for information as well as donating copies of our fantastic training manual “So You Want To Be A Greyhound Trainer” which was very well received by the delegates of other states, where there is no similar publication. We also received some Creek ties and “Gabba to the Creek” videos from the BGRC. It was a highlight to have delegates from WA and Victoria wearing Creek ties at the Golden Easter Egg, representing Queensland’s premier track! A key strategy discussed was approaching issues on a national level, not only through strengthening the AFGBOTA but to encourage every state governing body to move as one. One large victory in the past 12 months was the AFGBOTA being accepted into AGRA (Australian Greyhound Racing Association.) as an associate member, giving us greater profile and a channel to push issues for owners, breeders and trainers. It is a good thing for greyhound racing that there is now an official place for the opinions of the participants on AGRA. Other talking points were promotion, drugs, greyhound adoption and participant training. Greyhound racing is in desperate need of greater promotion. I believe we have a great product with high appeal, particularly with the 18-35 year old male demographic. (Greyhound racing is certainly considered “cool” by the youth.) A demographic which we as an industry are in urgent need of engaging and bringing into the fold. While it fills me with confidence that we have so much potential, we need to work out ways to consistently target these young people with promotion. One thing that cripples us in Queensland is UNiTABs lacklustre approach to promoting racing. TABs closing at early hours, Pub TABs not much better, archaic technology on websites and betting interfaces and little promotion of the racing codes, all of this is crippling, especially when compared to other states' TABs. We are once again lagging. It worries me that with increased competition in the betting market, we may not be doing all we can to look after and entice punters. One thing I am particularly looking forward to is the prospect of us owning and building a new facility, whether it is at Albion Park or elsewhere, where we can be masters of our own domain and nurture our own gambling venue. A place where we control the promotions, the business hours and reap the rewards. There is so much room to innovate and so many ideas we can sink our teeth into, but we just need the class facilities. Training One particular bug bear of mine is participant training, or lack of it. I was terribly disappointed to see last year’s training course cancelled and no sign of a rescheduling in 2007. I don’t think I need to remind the GRAQ of the importance of such programs. We need a visible, accessible and structured pathway into our racing industry. How is someone meant to go from interested member of the public to an owner and trainer on their own initiative. It would be an overwhelming prospect to them, which would turn many off and we aren’t doing them any favours. What is the use of promoting our sport if we don’t have a net to catch the fish in? Sure we are after patrons and punters but new breeders, trainers and owners are just as important. A training program not only gives them a course on Greyhounds 101, giving them an insight into all the disciplines of greyhound racing, but it also opens doors for them to make contacts within our industry, which they can call on for advice, encouragement or just to have a chat. It also sets the GRAQ up as an open door organisation and allows the new participant to personally acquaint themselves with the stewards, vets and GRAQ personnel. We need new blood in our industry if we want to see it prosper and endure. We need to encourage many new trainers to join our industry and move away from depending on a handful of top trainers. They also won’t be here forever and I’d hate to see our industry come down like a house of cards. Membership Inquiries For enquires on new membership and the progress/status of your membership application please ring our Secretary Pat Marchant on 39010932. Capalaba Trial Discount Remember that QGBOTA members receive $1 off trials at Capalaba when presenting their membership card. Anyone interested in saving some money on trialling who isn’t a member, I invite you to join the QGBOTA. Membership Membership forms are available on our website QGBOTA.com, at our weekly BBQ at Albion Park on Fridays or by contacting a committee member. Cost is $10 for individual membership or $15 for a family. For further membership details please contact out Secretary Pat Marchant on 39010932. Brad Newman 0400 880295 - all-star@iinet.net.au Owen Edmonds Bob Lambert (The Hunter) A man thatÆs seen the highs and lows The ups and downs the to’s and fro’s The ins and outs of the racing game The rise and fall of personal fame Yet a calm collected casual type Retired from all that leaders hype From way back when the Gabba rang When Bob was then the head schrang Took on Albion Park for years Damn near drove the man to tears Too much drama in that place Too many people in his face Yet rode the wave as Robert could Retirement in his sights felt good Then out of the blue he pulled the pin So his life of leisure could begin He smiled and told me of years long past Would make one feel somewhat aghast Six years a steward around the tracks Saw and heard a lot of crap Beenleigh back then was wildlife prone So Robert the hunter felt quite at home Chased feral pigs from under cars Made him and Biddle wild life stars Ducks that loved the lush green track Were destined for his hunters sack Hares that came from everywhere Gave reason for his thinning hair Kennels that wouldn’t pass for sheds Dogs could escape if they used their heads To chase the cats that just strolled by Which wasn’t good in the public eye Then to the Gabba our number one track Wildlife was scarce for the hunterÆs sack Except for the patrons the punters and like Some of them hell bent on causing Bob strife The occasional drinker who just couldn’t wait Tackled his dog at the end of the straight But most of the time his office was home Just the odd seagull but their full of bones Till one odd occasion one old mother duck With eight little ducklings strangely turned up Everyone watching as the hunter gave chase Into the four twenty boxes there was no escape The old duck now airborne to Roberts delight Caught the old mother while in full flight The crowd cheering loudly at this feat of good luck And the duck got a reprieve, the rangers turned up Albion Park was the next place Bob managed Hard to find wildlife on any wild rampage No rabbits or hares no ducks for his bag Not even a mud crab in the drains could he snag He once found a turkey; must have been lost It cooked up well for the next Sunday roast But talk about ferals the Park had its share Mostly two legged ones, full of devil may care And dozens of trotters pacing around Bloody good tucker for some hungry hound But Robert wasn’t happy, life was so dull Nothing to shoot at, not even a gull So the job became boring, was a hell of a grind With fishing and shooting and retiring in mind Bob pulled the pin on a lengthy career With no thought in mind of where to from here Well he settled in quickly to the freedom he’d found A life without drama with no one around With a boat and some crab pots a shotgun and time He settled in nicely with hunting in mind The dams was his forte catching red claw But the waters receded and fishings no more Some seem to think it was caused by the drought Or the massive amount of crayfish pulled out Got a few greyhounds to keep the hand in Lined up with Brett, that was cunning of him Gives Tony a hand when he’s out of town Took the job as a starter so he’s still be around Capalaba Saturday then come Wednesday night Turns up at Ipswich, thatÆs retirement alright Bob Lambert will always be that sort of bloke Straight down the middle and full of good jokes The (May, 2007) Journal Page 31
Page 1 and 2: JOURNAL Official Publication of the
Page 3 and 4: WE have already seen an initial res
Page 5 and 6: Keith reckons he's always been a gr
Page 7 and 8: Surf Lorian ... Just right for a Le
Page 9 and 10: GLENN and Pat Carrington and grands
Page 11 and 12: A Star in the making WHEN Tully own
Page 13 and 14: Chyna and John give staying ranks a
Page 15 and 16: By Emily Molina Genetics is the new
Page 17 and 18: Sabrina says Ellie's a Diamond THE
Page 19 and 20: Big Bird and Mort BIG Bird and Mort
Page 21 and 22: Clem Jones Cup (520m) Albion Park 1
Page 23 and 24: Pictures by Ric O'Donnell In the Pi
Page 25 and 26: Secretary's Notes CAPALABA The club
Page 27 and 28: Peter Rose Aust Winning Lines ILLUS
Page 29: Gary Clark WHILE all the attention
Page 33 and 34: Owners and trainers should be aware
Page 35 and 36: FORTHCOMING EVENTS WEDNESDAYS (Clas
Page 37 and 38: FORTHCOMING EVENTS MAY 24 2nd-3rd G
Page 39 and 40: 2007 ROYAL QUEENSLAND SHOW UniTAB/G

May'07 - Greyhounds Queensland

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