Broadcasting elite from both past and present will be trackside at Dapto on Thursday week as greyhound racing signs off from the iconic south coast venue for the last time.
An institution in greyhound racing since 1937, the "world famous" Dapto Dogs has created endless memorable moments during its 87-year-history, moments brought to life by some of racing's most esteemed racecallers.
Back in 1991, Dapto hosted a first of its kind racecallers night where Paul Ambrosoli, Peter Johnson, Paul Dolan, Rod Fuller, Gary Harley, Arthur Cooper and the late Graham McNiece and John McDermott each jumped behind the binoculars in front of a jam-packed crowd.
The final meeting at Dapto is sure to draw a big crowd
And on Thursday week, Dapto will wave goodbye to racing in much the same fashion, with races to be called across the Group 1 Dapto Megastar program by Darren Flindell, Fred Hastings, Luke Marlow, Russell Veitch, Kel O'Rourke, Phil Roberts, Dale Walker, Matt Jackson, Peter Johnson and Tim Newbold, who has worked feverishly to pull the group together.
The sport's greatest ever caller Paul Ambrosoli is yet to decide if he'll return to the callers' box to mark the historic occasion, but regardless, plans to be trackside to farewell racing at a venue he called at for a remarkable 45 years during his illustrious broadcasting career.
"I called my first race at Dapto in 1969 all the way through to my retirement in 2014," Ambrosoli said.
"Dapto has always been different. The best way to describe it was fun. It was a place where everyone had a smile on their face, the bar was always buzzing and the bookies ring jumping.
"And there have been so many great dogs to race there as well. Too many to even begin to list.
"It was never a track with the greatest facilities, but it always had a special warmth about it. Especially during the days of Billy Dwyer who was always pushing the boundaries to make Dapto a cut above the rest."
Dapto bookies ring in 1942
For all the magic moments at Dapto, it is two that rest in infamy that readily spring to mind for the man better known as PA.
"I'll never forget the no race in the 1991 Super Coat Classic," Ambrosoli said.
"It was worth $100,000, the richest race of the time, and you couldn't have fitted another person into Dapto that night if you tried.
"A dog ran back into the field which caused a no race. November Earl won for Christine and Ron Oldfield but the steward on the night Don Mackenzie didn't really have a decision to make the way the rules were at the time.
"Everyone was in stunned silence. No one knew what to say or how to feel, just a complete anti-climax.
"The other thing that springs to mind was the murder of interstate bookie Charlie Skarratt on the way home after a Dapto meeting in 1989.
"Charlie was the nicest man you'd have ever met and the whole Dapto community was very sombre after his passing."
It was only in 2020, that Terry Hickson, a broke punter at the time, was given 15 years for the murder of a then 72-year-old Skarratt.
Ambrosoli said it will be a sad moment watching the Dapto boxes fly open for the very last time on September 11.
"We are really losing an iconic part of greyhound racing history with the closure of Dapto," Ambrosoli said.
"Dapto dogs really does stretch to the length and breadth of the world and for a long time represented everything that is so wonderful about greyhound racing.
"It will be a sad night but a time to celebrate its history as well."
