Fair share a hard slog
I WRITE this letter as the deadline approaches for the potential strike action coming into place by industry participants, which will result in the Townsville Turf Club being reduced to a phantom meeting this Saturday.
While it is disappointing the State Government has let it reach this stage I can fully understand the industry participants wanting to take action to protect their futures and the future of the racing industry.
Some dates have been lost in the discussion and one point I wish to make is that the Melbourne Cup race day in Townsville is a non- TAB meeting and will proceed with live racing action.
The Townsville Turf Club has also put in a strong request to Racing Queensland to increase the number of races being held at our scheduled race meeting on November 11 and this request includes the scheduling of the two two- year- old feature races, which will not be held this week if the strike proceeds. We hope that Racing Queensland’s scheduling department can accommodate our request.
Regardless of what the future is with government funding, the Townsville Turf Club desperately needs a fairer share of the available funding.
We suffer like most other northern organisations, with the majority of funding being trapped in the southeast corner.
We need a better distribution of the available funding for our local organisation. Four key items are critical to our survival: night racing, on- course stabling, improved entertainment facilities and a long- awaited upgrade to the female jockey rooms.
It is interesting to note that every other racetrack in North Queensland and southeast Queensland already has oncourse stabling and in the southeast corner we have two tracks with lighting to allow for night racing. Surely we don’t need another one in southeast Queensland.
Our local state members are working with us to try to claw some of the funding from the southeast corner but it is a hard slog. The best way you can support this great industry is by coming to the local race days and enjoying the atmosphere of live racing.