For most of us who have battled through the unprecedented and uncertain times of 2020, the memory might need a little jolt to be refreshed. But for anyone who was even slightly touched by the bushfires which ravaged our State at the start of the year, those images and memories are as fresh as yesterday.
Both the Goulburn and Shoalhaven Greyhound Racing Clubs were in the line of those fires back in January this year, and both venues acted as evacuation centres for those in the path of the fires.
Each of the clubs worked closely with the remarkable men and women of the Rural Fire Service in their regions during the troubling time, and as a small ways of saying thank you, and to help with funding some additional equipment as we head into summer, Greyhound Racing NSW and the two clubs are this weekend donating money raised to each brigade.
Earlier this year GRNSW announced that during the month of January, it would initiate the Red & Yellow Bushfire Appeal, where each time a greyhound wearing the red (1) or yellow (5) rug (the RFS colours) won a race, $100 would be donated to charity.
At the culmination of the month, $22,100 had been accumulated and on Friday at the Goulburn race meeting, GRNSW Chief Operating Officer Wayne Billett presented a cheque for $11,050 to the RFS’s Goulburn Support Brigade, and Saturday night at their meeting, he will present the local RFS in Nowra with a similar sized cheque.
“The original plan was to visit both venues back in March-April this year and pass on our thanks and the funds to the RFS in those two regions which were so heavily impacted,” Billett said. “Unfortunately that was when COVID-19 hit, so those plans - like so many things which were previously second nature - were put on hold.
“When things slowly opened up, we locked in a date to visit both Goulburn and Nowra and offer our sincere thanks to the RFS for all their incredibly brave work over the summer, and pass on the funds raised which I’m sure they will put to good use to help them be as best prepared as possible with summer around the corner.”
Lachlan Gilchrist from the Goulburn region’s Rural Fire Service was on hand for the presentation and conceded he had never seen a summer of fires like the last one.
“It was enormously difficult for our volunteers with a huge amount of hours both locally and across the State, and mental and physical fatigue made it the most challenging season on record,” he said.
“Just the scale and the scope of it was unprecedented, and the volunteers really stood up to the challenge, which was amazing.
“We are very appreciative of this donation. I think everyone focuses on the big shiny dollar figures by large corporations but the reality is we are a community-based service, we are a community-based volunteer organisation, and the support from community clubs and community agencies such as yourself (GRNSW) goes an enormous way to not only show financial support, but to show our volunteers there is the support they need and the moral encouragement, to push ahead.”
Many local participants were forced to evacuate during the summer as fires threatened their homes, and the Goulburn club played a huge role during this time.
“We were used as an evacuation centre during the fires,” Goulburn’s racing manager Patrick Day said. “The fires at Talong were very close and we had to work with the RFS in the evacuation of a number of participants from that and other areas.
“It was a hectic time and we had to cancel a few race meetings as the kennels were full with evacuees with upto 110 in the kennels at a time.
”But it showed also great community spirit as everyone got together and helped support each other in such trying times.”
Nowra was hit just as badly, if not worse that the Goulburn region, with the fire coming within three kilometres of the racetrack and causing irreparable damage.
“It was a pretty hairy time down here,” Shoalhaven Greyhound Club’s secretary manager Glenn Midson said. “We had four evacuations at one point, over the Christmas/New Year period.
“We have 122 kennels here and they were full, not just with greyhounds but also cats and other dogs.
“The fire came to the bottom of Nowra Hill, about three kilometres away. It went through Allen Manwaring’s property on the top of Nowra Hill, and down on the side.
“It circled Fran Goodwin and Warren Everett’s property at Tomerong and they had to leave. The fireys said you’ve got to go and you’ve got to go now, we’ll try and save your house. These guys are telling you to get out and they are driving into it.
“Whatever we can do to help them out with equipment or Whatever they need we are happy to do.”
