Welcome to the last edition of Greyhound Monthly Victoria for 2017. This issue covers the world’s richest and prestigious greyhound race, the Melbourne Cup and I congratulate Aston Dee Bee, his breeder/owner Ray Borda, and trainer Seona Thompson on the greyhound’s great run, as well as the team at Sandown Park for their hard work in making the night happen.
Greyhound Racing Victoria’s 2016-17 Annual Report was tabled in the Victorian Parliament on 19 October 2017 and it, along with a short video of the year in review are available online at grv.org.au/annualreport.
It was another busy month in the sport around Victoria. On 12 September, Horsham Greyhound Racing Club’s new track was officially opened by the Mayor of Horsham Rural City Council after a redevelopment that used mainly local contractors and suppliers.
It was a very busy August for GRV and the sport, both on and off the track. One of the month’s highlights was the Victorian Greyhound Awards, held on 18 August at the Sandown Greyhound Racing Club. I congratulate all the winners and recipients on their achievements, particularly our new Hall of Fame inductees Jan Wilson, Barry Smith and El Grand Senor.
There perhaps has never been a more important time for Victoria’s greyhound racing participants to try to shape their own destiny, and I encourage all participants and our industry’s stakeholders – if you haven’t already – to please read and respond to the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport & Resources’ (DEDJTR) draft Code of Practice for the Keeping of Racing Greyhounds.
As we enter the new financial year, it is timely to reflect on the transformation of Greyhound Racing Victoria. GRV has worked hard to transform itself to become fit-for-purpose as both a regulator and promoter of the sport. Clear strategic priorities have been formulated to help build a thriving and sustainable future.
While GRV has been busy working with clubs and participants to build a strong long-term future for the sport, animal welfare and integrity are still its key priorities, both strategically and in daily operations.
It has been another busy month for GRV as we continue to work on developing a strong and sustainable long term future for the sport. As I mentioned last month, the capital works program is now well underway to ensure that Victoria’s greyhound racing clubs have the infrastructure they need to improve track safety, support industry development through new training centres and deliver a great experience for racing audiences and community events. GRV is also working to strengthen the clubs in the many roles they play in their communities by funding people to provide dedicated support for the clubs and also developing a collective strategic plan and new marketing initiatives.
To date, animal welfare and integrity have been GRV’s overarching priorities as GRV responds to the Milne and Perna Report recommendations to help secure the sport’s immediate future.
I write this shortly after the release of a report from NSW’s Greyhound Industry Reform Panel that outlines the initiatives necessary to ensure the long-term position of greyhound racing in NSW.