OUR good mate, GARY GORRIE, the former top NQ bookie now living in Thailand and one of his long-time mates, spent a few hours drinking and solving the problems of the racing world in country Queensland recently and here is what he reports:
‘HI this is the “Yakapari Kid” – just had a night on the booze with my accountant “Knuckles Knowall” and when you drink you can solve the problems of the world if drunk enough.
Well Racing Queensland might be a bit harder but we did have a few suggestions for “Tin Whistle Timmy” if he could get his ear away from M&M Matt who supposedly had great references to take the role of RQ Board Chairman despite being based in Sydney. Just check out his time running the ATC to judge his previous good work in administration.
Now in Mackay there are three major Sporting Clubs – Harrup Park Country Club (with a Cricket Test to be hosted there soon), Southern Suburbs and Magpies Footy Clubs who all make in excess of $10 million per year.
I am sure the “Member for Mackay” and close personal friend of the Racing Minister, Amanda Camm can confirm this for him.
Mackay Turf Club has a better location in Mackay than all these and I would bet even with the handicap of M&M and ‘Late Night Lachie’ in charge it would do better than all those clubs.
Cairns and Gladstone are two other courses that come to mind with the same credentials – position and great parking.
Now M&M and LNL have $20 million to spend in their kitty and before M&M puts Queensland Racing on its back and does what some say he did to the ATC, ‘Tin Whistle Timmy’ might blow in his ear that spending $10mn on a club in will return the money in 12 months.
I know when Barry Jansen set up Harrup Park he got many subsidies from the Government and I am sure the same would happen for this project set up right.
We have the North Queensland Cowboys buying into a Club in Logan investing in 100 pokies – must be some money in them. I think they would jump at chance to stake and go halves with Mackay Turf Club. The return would be better than anything Logan has to offer. Even the three clubs in Mackay might bankroll it if Racing Queensland doesn’t. I would buy shares in it if it was a company.
Racecourses have three important features going for them, the bars, the parking and the toilet facilities. Why not employ some bright “Event Planner”? Most have Uni Degrees from real Uni’s and have a circuit of ‘Big Day Outs”. Just do the due diligence of weather patterns over the years. A place like Bowen would go right off. I see Cairns Jockey Club has started Night Markets, the same could be done in many Racecourses.
The clubs have great assets but underutilised its time to run them as a business its such a shame to see the administrators with such tunnel vision the only thing on their minds is to close “Country Racing” its time to think outside the box!!
Come on ‘Tin Whistle Timmy’. Let’s see whether you can be a Great Minister or are you going to just “Whistle in the Wind” like so many before you?
All the best from the Yakapari Kid and Knuckles Knowall.
