It has hosted soldiers training for battle and survived fire and potential closure threats – now Dapto Greyhound Racing Club is preparing to party.
The iconic Illawarra club is hosting a special night of celebrations at its Dapto Showground base on Thursday night to mark its 80th anniversary.
Live music, children’s rides and other entertainment will take place at the event, which coincides with the club’s latest weekly meeting.
Club secretary manager Katrina Novak said participants old and new and everyone connected to the sport was welcome to come along.
“We wanted to mark the fact that we’ve been part of the community for all this time,” she said.
“You meet so many people from overseas that have heard about the ‘Dapto dogs’. You can go anywhere and meet people who’ll have coming here on their bucket list.
“We want to make it a real family night and we hope it will be a great evening.”
According to the club’s website, greyhound racing started at Dapto after the local Agricultural and Horticultural Society's bank manager wanted a $600 bank debt cleared.
A greyhound racing licence was applied for and Dapto hosted its first meeting on February 25, 1937.
In 1942 the club’s base was used as a training ground by the Australian Army, with racing suspended and resuming in 1944.
In 1991 the club’s offices were badly damaged in a fire, with a new office block and bar area opened two years later.
It continues to host weekly meetings every Thursday night and remains one of the premier clubs in NSW after the greyhound racing industry was spared closure last year.
The feature race of the evening will be the 5th grade Happy 80th Birthday Dapto Dogs over the 520m.
Participants are welcome to book tables at the evening, with festivities under way from about 6.30pm.
For more information, visit www.Daptodogs.org.au or call 4261 1080.
For fields, form and expert picks for Thursday's evening, click here.
