Greyhound Racing Victoria held the first of three regional Stakeholder Engagement Workshops on Wednesday, 6 October, at Shepparton to explore thoughts and views on what can be done to ensure all greyhounds have a successful racing career and are re-homed.
More than 40 people gathered for workshop following the success of previous workshops.
The panel was made up of John Martin, a greyhound owner and breeder, President of the Shepparton GRC and a member of the ICG (Industry Consultative Group); Kevin Eyles, a breeder, owner and trainer with over 20 years experience in greyhound racing and Tony McGrath, who is a Hall Of Fame breeder with a long-standing involvement in greyhound racin.
An overwhelming need for more educational content, both written and video was a standout request, with one participant stating “We need more educational videos from respected breeders and trainers because all the young kids are on Youtube!”
More control on breeding greyhounds, in particular sires, as well as introducing a minimum age of racing greyhounds also proved to be strong discussion points.
Alan Clayton, GRV CEO, said “This wont be the last workshop series. I want to go forward in the reform and continue to interact about what we can do better,” Greyhound Racing Victoria’s CEO Alan Clayton stated.
“I want the industry to more than survive, I want us to flourish. I want to see younger people come back in, I want to see rearers pop up over Victoria. I want to see a new enthusiasm!”
The next regional Stakeholder Engagement Workshop will be held at Traralgon on Thursday October 13, with Warrnambool set to round out the regional series on Tuesday 8 November.
For more information on the Regional Stakeholder Engagement Workshops click here.