The Coleraine Racing Club

 I can go right back to when they raced on the Wednesdays and Thursdays.

If you had the old school records,  of each day when you attended,  if you went back for years and years,  the three of us would have been missing regularly on certain days in the middle of May,   on a Wednesday or a
Thursday,  because even as kids,  we always wouldn’t go to school and went up to the Coleraine races.

Prior to that I would have been up there in my pram.,   there’s not a shadow of doubt about that,  because all we had to do was drive up through the paddocks in the buggy.   Dad would drive us close to the course as he could,  and then we would crawl through the fences,  and go and attend the races.

An appointment was made to meet with the  Youth Sport and Recreation Mr Neil Tresize,  and again I picked a pretty good team.

Parliament was sitting at the time and we were sitting listening to the debates.  I could see Neil sitting in his usual seat,  and I saw him getting up to speak.  He sent his secretary up to tell us to come down,  so I sat down at the other end of the table.

He spoke of our reasons for going down there.   I spoke then to put our case across,  revealing true facts.   I knew that we were treated fairly though a lot of false reports had been put in.   When I told them the true facts,  I can still hear Neil saying to his secretary,   “do you think that is right ?”   and the secretary saying “I think Mr Kane is correct there”

So time was running out.   I made sure we had the newspapers behind us,  and I knew the Age would support us,  and I had let them know I was coming.  They were all waiting outside the door,  waiting to see what happen at the interview.

Neil Tresize said “After what we heard from Mr Kane,  I advise you to go down to the Country Racing Council,  and see what they have to say.”

We arrived there just as the staff were coming out,  around 5 o’clock,   and we asked the girl at the reception desk, is Jim Shannon still at his desk.   She said “yes”,  so we raced up the stairs,  and busted in to his office, he said “How are you Tom ?”   I said “Well it is you that is going to be put under pressure.   I want a meeting called of the Country Racing Council as soon as possible.

He said “No,  I couldn’t arrange it”   So I said “Listen here,  if you don’t want to do it,  we’ll go back to Coleraine now,  but we will bang on your doorstep tomorrow morning.”  So anyway,  he said “Why are you doing this ?”   I said “Under instructions”.

So we headed back to Coleraine.   We then engaged a top solicitor,  to represent us,  and when we went back to the Country Racing Council.

 Jeff Torney was the legal representative for the Country Racing Council.   Jeff is on the committee.

Interview on 3AW - Muriel Cooper

Interviewer:  "Well I was just going to say for us city clickers, Tom, who are not quite sure where Coleraine is, can you tell us where it is?"

Ballie: "Yes, it's on the main highway, 22 miles on the Adelaide side of Hamilton and we're situated between Hamilton and Casterton.  Glorious town in the rich rural scene, unfortunately at the present time like a lot of other areas the rain has aluded us but we're always confident the average over the years is excellent around here".

Interviewer:  "So the good old country outlook Tom, that if you have a bad year, next year might be better - you never know?"

Ballie: "Well, that's what keeps us going."

Interviewer: "Well just to talk about the race course now.  How important is the racecourse to the people of Coleraine?"

Ballie: "Well, when you add all the sporting bodies that are associated with any country town, this is something that keeps the town together and it also helps to keep young people in the area.  They become associated with sporting bodies, they more or less participate during their younger age and then later on as they more or less see fit to join the administrative side."

Interviewer:  "So what are the reasons that have been given to you for closing the racecourse down?"

Ballie:  "Well, it has come about, the Government, through the Department of Youth, Sport and Recreation Minister and the rationalisation of racing.  Now this has has been brought about by the ailing racing industry.  At the moment failing be be able to keep up with inflation and the costs of racing and so as to generate more money into the industry there have been certain suggestions that have been brought forward."

Interviewer:  "In that they want to centralise the racing industry rather than decentralise the way it is at the moment?"

Ballie:  "Well, what they have in mind at the moment to get more money in to have extra mid week racing in the Metropolitan area.  Now at the moment the Metropolitan has 83 race days.

Interviewer:  "Well, you only have 6 don't you?"

Ballie:  "Yes, but when you distribute the country race meetings overall there's 402 country race days or 402 country race meetings in the year.  They're hoping to get another 12 metropolitan meetings.

Interviewer:  "Well, does this mean that you wouldn't be allowed to run country race meetings in Coleraine."

Ballie:  "No, that's not the point.  What they've got to do to enable them to get back 12 extra race days in the Metropolitan, race dates have to be found."

Interviewer:  "And they're going to pinch some off you?"

Ballie:  "Well, they're looking at the overall country race clubs and Coleraine happens to be one of those Clubs geographically situated between Hamilton and Casterton as I said earlier.  It was one of the Clubs they thought would be the most likely to either amalgamate with Hamilton or Casterton."

Interviewer:  "What would happen to the Coleraine Race course if that happens."

Ballie:  "Well, we'd fear is that it would be closed and it would be lost- lost to the community and it would be taking away the recreation and the people would be denied the opportunity of having something of their own and also it would effect greatly the employment and everything that goes with racing."

Interviewer:  "It would be taking away a part of the town's history, Tom, because it's been there for 125 years and there must be a lot of history associated with it."

Ballie:  "I'm glad you're looking at it in that light cause we have claimed to having the oldest, if not one of the oldest racecourses and one of the first Clubs to have steeplechase racing.  It goes right back to the days of Adam Lindsay Gordon, an old poet and a marvellous horseman and also a great lover of horses.  He rode in the Great Western Steeplechase here on the fields of Coleraine which after having competed and realising how gruelling it was and what a test it was for man and beast he set to and wrote the poem on the fields of Coleraine and it was widely distributed around everywhere and a lot of people have read it and also back in 1911 we produced through Mr. John Kirby, the winner of the Melbourne Cup, 'The Parigan', he was owned just a few minutes walk from the Coleraine Racecourse and as a matter of fact part of the Coleraine Racecourse was at one time part of the Mt. Koroit Station which Mr. Kirbly owned."

Interviewer:  "So what does the course look like?"

Ballie: "Well, you wouldn't see a better setting.  It has the natural upspoilt beauty of the glorious redgum country on the inner side of the course there is a natural depression which forms a beautiful logoon with wildlife on it.  So its one of the most beautiful settings you'd ever wish to see.  This is what we're very proud of and we do our utmost to keep it a top spectacle and we're very fortunate  with our committee at the present time who are very devoted and they give all their labour free and we have enormous support from the district - widespread support and I think this is something which has given us great encouragement because when it was first mooted that the Coleraine Racecourse be closed they ralied to us.

Interviewer:  "What sorts of things have they done Tom?"

Ballie: "Well, they've gone to the media.  They have held meetings.  They've gone to the responsible people - the people that are in charge of the administration of racing.  To the Victorian Racing Council - the VRC.  They have come up with very good arguments supporting their reasons for protesting against the closure.

Interviewer:  "So the town seems it's really up in alms about it all, Tom?"

Ballie:  "Well I think every country town would do the same thing.  Wouldn't you protest yourself if somebody was going to take away something that you had for 130 years."

Interviewer:  "I agree with you, it sounds delightful Tom and it would be a great shame if it had to go.  When do you expect to get an answer.  When do you hope to know one way or the other."

Ballie:  "We will know on the 10th March.  The board will be meeting then and we only hope that well we're given a fair go and these people realise what a great loss it will be not only to the town.  I'd like to point out Muriel that of those 6 days that we race we race in the middle of winter.  This has been looked upon as the best wet weather track in the Western District.  Our racing season begins with our Cup day which is a half holiday in the town.  Visitors come from Interstate every year, look forward to it as much as they look forward to the Melbourne Cup or your Melbourne Show or your Moombas  This is one day in their lives, this is really something that has kept us going.  As I say, we race in the middle of winter, we start our meeting with our two day Cup Carnival and the Cup is held on the last Friday in May."

Interviewer:  "Well I certainly hope you get the answer you want on the 10th March Tom and that the Coleraine racecourse will keep going because as I said it's a delightful setting and very important for the town.  Thanks very much for being our guest on the program today Tom and as I said I can only wish you the best of luck."

Ballie:  "Well thankyou very much Muriel for giving us the opportunity to speak to the people and to enlighten them as to just what is taking place and I'm sure they will be fighting for us too."

Interviewer:  "Good on you Tom - thanks very much.  Tom Kane the spokeman for the Coleraine Racing Club

1992 members medals - Coleraine Racing Club