Hounds group to meet with RQ

GREYHOUND Clubs Australia will lobby Racing Queensland to give the Cairns Greyhound Racing Club an unexpected lifeline.

Greyhound Clubs Australia executive officer David Simonette wrote to Racing Queensland late last year seeking clarification on the procedure around the decision-making process behind shutting the Cannon Park-based club.

A meeting with RQ was granted late on Wednesday, with a date to be set early next week.

The Perth-based Simonette is set to travel to Queensland to meet with RQ officials on behalf of the CGRC club.

Simonette says former club president Emma Bryant and incumbent president Jeff Down believe they were not handed official paperwork from RQ outlining the potential situation in the weeks leading into the decision being handed down.

“We are asking to ensure that Racing Queensland’s actions were lawful, which they probably were, but we want to make them accountable to make sure they have done everything right through this process,” Simonette said.

“Generally, a show cause notice is given if they are going to shut a track like this.

“We want to make sure the due diligence around the club has all been correct.

“We want to appeal to their sense of fair play — have Racing Queensland made it known to the local club that they would be shut down and provided them with the adequate resources?

“I have not yet seen the paperwork into how much effort Racing Queensland has put into the Cairns club surviving.”

A Racing Queensland spokesman said they would meet with Greyhound Clubs Australia and other industry representatives in coming weeks to explain fully its decision not to licence the Cairns Greyhound Racing Club.

Simonette and Far North dogs officials are floating the idea of establishing a working party to help rectify the concerns RQ had, including the numbers of greyhounds and trainers in the region.

RQ officials travelled to Cairns to meet with members of the club before making the final call to pull stumps on the struggling club.

RQ decided not to extend the licence of the club into 2019 after abandoned meetings marred the club in the second half of last year.

While the club are not licensed to conduct race meetings, the track remains open and operational as a training and trialling track.

I HAVE NOT YET SEEN THE PAPERWORK INTO HOW MUCH EFFORT RQ HAS PUT INTO THE CAIRNS CLUB SURVIVING. DAVID SIMONETTE