Melissa Jolliffe is a nurse at Tamworth Hospital who shares ownership of a roof and floor tiling business while raising five children, yet she somehow managed to find the time last Thursday to land her first winning treble as a greyhound trainer.
Jolliffe, who was celebrating her birthday at the Gunnedah track, trained 431m winners Victor Cargo and Dust Cargo along with Eva Cargo, who won over 340m, while she also headed the syndicate which owns Robin Cargo and Mick The Master, who won at the same meeting for their trainer, her cousin Jamie Bush.
Bush, who has been training for just over four years, landed five winners at Gunnedah, with Jock, Robin Cargo, Maybe Yes and Mick The Master over 340m along with a 431m success with Scootin' Scooby.
Gunnedah is Bush's local track and he has now notched five winners at a single meeting there on four occasions, previously in February, 2024.
Bush, who has 14 greyhounds in work, said: "The prizemoney is so good now you can make a living out of greyhounds, something that was awfully hard to do a few years ago.''
Ava McKenzie with Jamie Bush and greyhound, Buddy Mac
His cousin Melissa Jolliffe can claim to be a "super woman" as apart from working full time as a nurse, she and her husband Beau Hansen operate a roof and floor tiling business while raising five children, their two teenagers along with three foster kids, aged two, four and six.
"My life is certainly full-on because my husband Beau Hansen and I have a large team of greyhounds, including youngsters about to start racing, and we also run our own roof and floor tiling business,'' Jolliffe said.
"We have two teenage children but because we also foster three little ones we have five kids at home.
"My only successful visit to Sydney was in February, 2024, when my cousin Jamie trained two greyhounds I owned, Franky Bear and Jeanie Cargo, and when we took them to Wentworth Park they finished first and second in the same 520m race.
