April'08 - Greyhounds Queensland

The Bernie Culey Story
living in Sydney,” said Bernie. “It was the
best buy we have made and is now worth
more than $1 million.”
The Culeys raced greyhounds and
produced a family, three of them.
Greyhound training was not the financial
windfall they thought and in 1978 Bernie
bought a 24-hour Laundromat at Stones
Corner.
Maureen in the meantime produced such
quality gallopers as XXXX Trophy winner
Brigadier North, Gabba record breaker Moon
Critic and the brilliant Golden Purse, as well
as Mary Supreme and Fun Park.
“In those days it was nothing for us to
load up our falcon station wagon with six or
seven dogs, our three kids and ourselves and
head off to the Gabba, or the Gold Coast, or
Lawnton, or Beenleigh or Tweed on a
Saturday,” said Bernie. “It wore us down.”
In 1981 the Culeys decided on a career
change moving to a pub at Kenilworth.
“We were working the same hours but
making a lot more money,” said Bernie. “I loved
those days in the pub.”
They stayed at Kenilworth for eight years
before the breweries decided to sell the
freeholds of most of their pubs.
Bernie and Maureen headed back to
Brisbane and Bernie bought a milk run
supplying most of the supermarkets on the
northside of the city.
“We hadn’t thought about getting back
into greyhounds until we headed to
Bundaberg to visit my parents and ran into
Bruce Elliott,” said Bernie.
Bruce and his family were riding the crest
of a winning wave with the progeny of a couple
of super broodbitches at the time, Tardy Angel
and Lady Mickeroo. Bruce tempted Maureen
back into greyhounds with a couple of nicely
bred bitches.
“They were Fast Devil who was top class,
and Ima Angel who won the Futurity at the
Gabba.” They were back.
Bernie became assistant kennel hand. He
sold the milk run because the industry was
about to be deregulated.
In 1992 the family suffered a huge
personal setback when son, policeman Chris
was killed in a car accident in Cairns.
It is amazing how things work out and
Bernie is the first to point it out.
“Father Pat Jones was the police chaplain
in Cairns and when Chris was killed we had a
lot to do with Pat and he stayed in touch for a
long time,” said Bernie.
Father Pat was also a greyhound man,
training the Cairns superstar Station Master
who would later come south to be trained by
Graham Beh and win a number of city races at
the Gabba and Harold Park.
“Father Pat’s nephew is Matt Hayden who
at the time was a promising young cricketer,”
said Bernie. “On the night the Gabba closed
in 1992, Matt and his brother Gary were there.
That when he and our daughter Kellie met.
Father Pat introduced them.”
Kellie and Matt have been married for a
number of years.
By 1997 Maureen had a half a dozen dogs
in training and Bernie was becoming a little
disinterested in being “kennel hand”.
“Graham Beh was on the Board of the GRA
at the time and Capalaba was not traveling
well,” said Bernie. “Graham asked me if I
would be interested in taking over as
administrator and trying to turn things around.
“I looked on it as a huge challenge.
“Financially the place was a mess.
Stephanie Houghton was chair of the Board
and she backed me all the way.”
Bernie and his offsider for three years Billy
Hutchinson did just that … turned it around.
“I went to work for next to nothing for the
first three years,” said Bernie. “When Billy
left, Brian Bretherton came on board and we
have been an ideal partnership ever since.”
Bernie had a number of principles to
adhere to when he took on the job at
Capalaba.
“Honesty was the first and foremost,” he
said. “Commonsense was next, and applying
certain management principals was important.
“And finally knowing what was needed
by greyhound people was next.”
Bernie is proud of the fact he roped in
Bob Patching at Capalaba and utilized his
passion, promotional ability and nous to lift
Capalaba to another level.
“So many of the innovations Bob
introduced have been picked up by other
clubs,” said Bernie.
The Bernie and Bob show came armed
with career-long management skills. And they
wanted to accept the challenge confronting
them.
Today Capalaba is again an integral part
of the racing scene in this state.
And Bernie is now looking at retirement.
“January 2008, that will see me through,” he
said. He and Maureen may sell the Chandler
property and scale down.
Bernie has developed a taste for a quality
red wine.
He says the Personality of the Year award
was a surprise.
He reckons he has failed only one thing
'SANDOWN'S CLASSIC
DOUBLE FOR STAYERS
THE 2008 LIZRENE CLASSIC
Group 3 - 715m
$20,000 to the Winner
$6,000 Second
$3,000 Third
Heats - Thursday 17th April 2008
Final - Thursday 24th April 2008
(Nominations close 9:00am, Monday 14th April 2008, GRV only on 03-8329-1111 or 1800-138-507)
&
THE 2008 RADIO SPORT 927 SANDOWN CUP
Group 1 - 715m
$60,000 TO THE WINNER
$17,000 Second
$8,500 Third
Heats - Thursday 8th May 2008
Final - Thursday 15th May 2008
(Nominations close 9:00am, Monday 5th May 2008, GRV only on 03-8329-1111 or 1800-138-507)
Trainers nominating greyhounds that have not previously competed in Victoria are required to complete
the GRV Nomination Form (including C3 Booster Notification). GRV requests that interstate nomination
forms are received 48 hours prior to the official close of nominations.
Sandown Greyhound Racing Club
BOOK NOW: (03) 9546-9511
Email: admin2@sandowngreyhounds.com.au
(Lightwood Road, opposite Sandown Park railway station)
Sandown Greyhound Racing Club reserves the right to alter or amend conditions and prizemoney.
at Capalaba, the introduction of 10-dog races
with them racing live on Sky.
“It would have been a winner for sure,”
he said. “I got the OK from Stephanie
Houghton’s board to do it but not long after
a change of government changed the GRA
Board and the idea has fallen on deaf ears
these days.”
Of the future of greyhound racing, he
agrees Logan City will be the much needed
boost we have long wanted.
“I would love for straight racing to be
included at Logan City,” he said. “I see the
need for someone to drive the industry from
Logan City and I feel Bob Patching could be
that person.”
Bernie Culey has been there, done that
already.
The (April, 2008) Journal Page 19