Curators and track staff from around NSW gathered on the Mid North Coast on Monday and Tuesday for the annual Greyhound Racing NSW Curators’ Conference.
The conference was held at the new state-of-the-art facility at Taree which was only completed earlier this year and officially opened in September. The facility has a number of new safety innovations which many attendees had heard about, but not seen.
Among the innovations at Taree are moisture sensors in track surface connected to automated irrigation system which maintains the moisture level of the track to a specified amount, automatic catching pen and return gates keep people off the track and away from the moving lure with both gates closing pneumatically when the operator pushes a single button, and a new sand which has already had a positive impact on injuries.
“Our curators’ conferences are an annual event and important both from a Greyhound Racing NSW perspective and also from the viewpoint of the track teams from around the State,” Acting Chief Executive Officer Wayne Billett said.
“The benefits of these gatherings are significant with the opportunity to share knowledge, update everyone on what is new in our industry which naturally helps with their work, and allows everyone to continue to improve their skill set and with new learnings and training.
“We must have a really professional approach to our tracks and these conferences ensure that the standard is maintained at a very highest level.
“We had a variety of presenters this year at Taree, who were very informative, and I must also thank the special guest speaker Craig Hamilton for coming along, sharing his story around mental health with the team, and I know everyone took away so much from listening to Craig.”
Among the presenters at the conference were Tony Poke from Heavy Industry Solutions who spoke about the Taree redevelopment and some of the new innovations, GRNSW’s Kevin Sweet spoke on new technology and innovations in the industry, and Amy Flint from Greyhound Racing Victoria who informed everyone about the accredited GRV Certificate III in Racing Services (Track Maintenance) Program which is now available to club staff while current course attendees, the GBOTA’s Jeff Mooney and The Meadows’ Cory Hiscock, both spoke of their experiences in the course.
“It’s a great opportunity for everyone to get updated on what is happening not only around the State, but pretty much the country, in terms of maintenance, and new machinery, technology and innovative ideas,” said GRNSW’s Track Compliance Manager (North), Andrew Thomas.
“It gives everyone the chance to have a look and to see what others are doing as well, and look at things you may not be used to working with. For example, nobody south of Sydney would have seen the sand at Taree before.
“I know everyone is busy and the racing schedule means not everyone can attend, but for those who did I am sure they all took a lot away from the two day conference and especially as we’re coming into summer, the emphasis on water retention and watering systems and anything that helps everyone get through the summer periods is crucial knowledge to have.
“And I think we were lucky to have had it at Taree so everyone got to see the latest innovations GRNSW is using at their tracks now. It was fantastic.”
Thomas was also full of praise for Craig Hamilton and added that Craig’s words and message was heard loud and clear by attendees.
“He was very impressive. I think with this part of the industry, it’s a very solitary job for these curators. They're out there on these tractors and these tracks by themselves, and they don't see or speak to very many people during a day.
“And they cop a lot of the criticism. Any time there is anything wrong at a race meeting, it's always about the track and that criticism can be hard to deal with.
“So it's good for them to realise that they aren't alone in this, we're all together and every one of us is copping criticism. But as long as you know deep down that you are doing the right thing and you're not cutting corners, and then you don't have anything to worry about.
“Craig spoke about dealing with things like that and being able to share. We’re not great at sharing our feelings us men, but we need to do it, and I hope that was one big take away from the conference.”
Special guest Craig Hamilton speaks to attendees at the conference.
