Women in Greyhound Racing NSW

Presents Women in Greyhound Racing

Women in Greyhound Racing

On March 8, as a nation we join the world in celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD), a day where we acknowledge and commemorate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.

At Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) we are extremely proud of all the women in our industry, from volunteers, to participants, club and industry officials, and administrators.

As a way of celebrating women in greyhound racing in NSW, we embarked on a project to showcase a number of our women from all different regions around the State.

On IWD, a series of stories on women in NSW greyhound racing will be run across Australian Community Media platforms in NSW. In total 45 publications will carry stories on NSW women in the industry.

An objective of this project was that not only are we celebrating our women, but it will give the local communities around the State the same opportunity to celebrate one of their own.

While local regions will read about their local women in the sport, at GRNSW we believed that everyone should see what amazing women we have in greyhound racing and give everybody the chance to read about those women who hail from every corner of NSW.

So to commemorate, celebrate and show our pride in the women of our industry, GRNSW have put together a special magazine containing the stories which on March 8 will be published around NSW.

One of the goals of IWD is to shine a light on gender equality, something we are continually striving for in the industry, and we are happy to say that each of the women in this magazine confirmed that huge strides are being made across the industry in this area.

Finally, we thank every woman for being a part of our great industry, and wish them all a happy International Women’s Day.

BETH COOK

“Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly and the weather's not too bad during the build period and we can get up and running.

“It will be an historic day for greyhound racing in this region.”

Beth is secretary of the Lithgow Club and one of many women in the industry being celebrated today on International Women’s Day.

“We have a lot of lot of women in greyhound racing from participants through to club officials, and they all do such tremendous jobs,” she said.

“It’s actually great to be part of an industry where everyone is treated the same and everyone is so welcoming to new people. We have to be if we want to continue to grow.”

Breeding meant that Beth was always going to be a part of the sport.

Both her mum Alice and her late dad Robert – or as he was known to all, Cricket – were involved in greyhound racing at Lithgow.

“When I was young, I used to have to get up and if we had pups who were just starting out, learning how to walk, I would have to get up and take them for a separate walk in the morning to the racing dogs,” she explained.

When work is completed on the Lithgow greyhound track later this year, you won’t find a prouder person on opening race day than Beth Cook.

Beth is Lithgow through and through, and courtesy of the involvement of her father and mother, she is also greyhounds to the core.

Work is expected to begin in the next week with the complete upgrade of the track - which will see it become one of the safest in NSW - expected to take around six months.

“We have been waiting a while but it’s wonderful news that things are about to start happening,” Beth said. “With the loss of Bathurst to the flood more than 12 months ago now, it's even more important, because everybody's just got to travel so far to race now. So it's going to be a lot easier for a lot of people.

“The little pups were just like little babies, beautiful and that's fine. You would take them down the paddock for a run and they would chase you up the paddock and that was the good part. Then, when they get older and get to racing age, that’s when it’s work, more like a job then, and certainly wasn’t as much fun.”

Beth’s mother Alice became secretary of the Lithgow Greyhound Club, and when the lady who did the bookwork decided to leave, Beth stepped in. Keeping it in the family, her father ended up being the curator at the track for a number of years and then lure driver.

“It wasn’t long after that when dad – who had been out of the dogs for a while because he was working at the track - said to me we're going to get this dog. I said: “Oh, are we?” The answer was yes and I suddenly started training her. She only had about 20 starts and won a few here at Lithgow, but she had a recurring corn on a pad. Her name was Whispering Rain.

“I bred a litter of pups with her when she retired, and they have all just turned four. One never raced, one's retired and I've still got one who is racing in the Masters’ races now. And she’s had another litter of pups since then.”

Alice Cook has since retired from the role at the Lithgow club and sadly Cricket Cook passed away in 2022 after a long illness.

Beth subsequently stepped into the secretary’s role, and her partner Syd Swain, is the club’s President.

“I've got a full time job as well as a compliance manager. I train out of Syd’s kennels and I help him with his dogs as well,” Beth said.

“We have too many dogs at the moment. I don't know how it got to be this many. Both Syd and I are excited and probably a bit impatient about getting the track upgraded but it will be wonderful for the region when it’s complete and I can’t wait for that first race meeting.

“The Lithgow track was always one of the safest tracks in NSW. A lot of people have broken their dogs in here over the years because it was thought that if you can get around here, you get around anywhere, but the new track will take us to a whole new level, especially with safety.”

BETTY KEENE

For many in the sport, those with greyhounds dotted right through the roots and branches of their family trees, a progression into the industry is a fait accompli.

Others have interesting stories of how they initially became involved. Betty Keene is in the latter group.

“I never even had a pet. My parents didn't have pets or let us have pets where we lived, so a greyhound was a very new thing for me,” she explained.

“When I married Dennis, he had a greyhound. He used to train it, and I guess that’s where it started, and more than 50 years later we’re still involved in greyhounds.”

Back then, home for the young couple was in Sydney, but that didn’t last too long.

“We lived in Sydney for 18 months because that was where Dennis came from, but I hated it. I was girl from Wallangarra near the Queensland border, so I talked him into moving. We went to Armidale on acreage up there and we started to breed our own dogs, and that's what we still do.

“We stayed in Armidale for 32 years but I wasn’t a fan of the cold, so I hounded my husband for years to move down to the Hunter, and 17 years ago he gave in and we moved to Twelve Mile Creek where we have 20 acres.”

With essentially a lifetime in the sport, and as we today celebrate International Women’s Day, Betty has seen women gradually have more of a presence in greyhound racing.

“There is definitely so many more women in the sport now than there was when I first started,” she said.

“It was mostly the men who did everything when we first started. You didn't see many women actually handling dogs or anything like that back then. My husband used to always handle the dogs.

“But it’s been good to see things change over the years, a change for the better obviously, and right now there are so many women who are involved in the greyhound racing industry, and so many young women getting involved as well.

“In our sport if a woman can train a dog, she can have just as much success as a man. Women and men compete on a level playing field and many do it successfully.”

With so long in the sport you would imagine that Betty would need to some time to ponder when asked who the best greyhound is that she has put a collar and lead on. The decision took about five seconds.

“No, it’s not that hard a question. We’ve had a couple of standouts but perhaps White Sail back in the 1980s is the one,” she replied. “I think he was a track record holder at Armidale, and I think he broke the track record in the Chief Havoc Final at Gunnedah too, and went close to the one at Grafton as well. He was brilliant.

“Academy Lee who won five races at Wentworth Park - we would drive seven hours down and back from Armidale with her, we must have been young and silly then - and Liberty Lee would be the next best.

“Liberty Lee won around 40 races and $100,000 for us, she was very smart and she is the mother of the good ones we have now, Smart Comet and Rebel Force who have already put together some good wins early in their careers.

“Hopefully we’ll head to Sydney with them soon – at least it won’t be a 14hour round trip now.”

BILLIE SHARMAN

“So we got this little three-month-old pup who we called Princess Wales, and not only did she win quite a few races for us, she started our breeding bloodline.

“We have been very lucky. We have had some good dogs along the journey. Demure Prince won 27 races including many in the city at Harold Park. Lord Tanga won the (1987) Tweed Heads Galaxy and Lyntanga won the (1999) Richmond Oaks. Like I said, we have been lucky, but it’s not been about just racing and winning, we have loved every single one of them.

“We’ve still got some retirees here. They’re our kids.”

A lifelong resident of Muswellbrook, Billie believes it was around 48 years ago that she began working at the local Muswellbrook Greyhound Club, in the canteen. It was there her corned beef became legendary.

Trainers from near and far would nominate their dogs to race at Muswellbrook because they had the added attraction of Billie’s corned beef.

“Yes, it was a bit popular. Even our local Member of Parliament, George Souris loved it. I remember once he was interviewed at Scone, and someone asked if he was heading

If Maureen Sharman had got her way all those years ago, not only would she have been lost to the sport of greyhound racing, but many thousands would never have sampled the best corned beef in the Upper Hunter.

Today as greyhound racing joins global organisations to celebrate International Women’s Day, it would be remiss not to honour a local who has played a significant role in the industry for five decades.

home, and he said: ‘No, I’m going to Muswellbrook to get some Billie Sharman’s corned beef’. He was a lovely man and was racing minister at one time too.

“I don’t work at the greyhound track these days, but I still cook the corned beef if Eric and I have visitors.

“I have been so lucky to have been involved in greyhound racing. I have made a lot of connections and friends I still keep in touch with today. So many of my really close friends have come from the industry, and it’s been great to see so many wonderful women involved in the industry.

“And now we see all the young ones - both boys and girls - coming up, it’s lovely to see. We need that next generation coming through to take over and it’s happening.”

While she is still Maureen to many, to most in the industry she is Billie, the legacy of her father who called the local hospital 91 years ago to enquire about his newborn baby.

“My dad thought I would be a boy, and he rang the hospital and said: ‘Has little Billie arrived yet?’,” she said. “Even after I was born the nurse would apparently bring me in and say: ‘Here’s little Billie’.”

But as the woman known to all as Billie revealed, had it not been for a decision by her husband Eric, the career in the sport would have been over before it began.

“We bought our first greyhound as a pup,” Billie explained. “Eric wanted a greyhound. I wanted a labrador. Eric took me to look at a litter of greyhound pups and they were so cute I couldn't resist.

“I was christened Maureen in the hospital, but Billie has just stuck.”

While she and Eric have won their share of feature races, one of Billie’s biggest honours came in 2000 when she was presented with an Australian Sports Medal for her services to the greyhound industry by then Prime Minister John Howard, at Parliament House.

“I don’t want to skite about it, but I’ve had it framed and it’s on the wall as you come into our house. I’m really proud of it.”

Billie doesn’t get to the track too often nowadays, with health being a battle.

“You can't fight getting old,” she says. “I’m going through a bit of a bad time at the present, but when I go to the doctors they say what on earth is keeping you going Billie, and I automatically say, my greyhounds.

“Look I’ve had a dream run in my life and I’ve enjoyed every minute, and greyhounds have played a very, very big part in that.”

CHARMAINE ROBERTS

“I was born and bred in Sydney but then I moved to Dubbo when I was 20,” Charmaine recalled. “I got married, bought a property and then when my husband and I separated I bought him out and I kept the property.

“My husband hadn’t been involved in dogs, he wasn’t interested, and a few years after that I met Shayne (Stiff, her partner). I'd already known Shayne from when he was younger.

“I was still working as a contract cleaner at the time and only had a few litters, then Shayne moved to Dubbo, and as the involvement with greyhounds got bigger, five or six years later, it reached a point where I said I can't keep going to work at five o'clock in the morning and doing dogs. There comes a time we're going to have to have a crack and that's when we did.”

In early 2000, Charmaine’s bitch Golden Buttercup whelped a litter of eight to Head Honcho. Her father and

There was no hiding the pride on her face when Charmaine Roberts was invited on to the track last month for a special presentation.

It had been kept a well-guarded secret, but Charmaine, one of the backbones of the Dubbo Greyhound Club, was being awarded life membership for her contribution over 35 years.

But, afterwards, there was a moment where she thought: “Hang on? I thought only really old people get these awards.”

“Obviously I must fit into that category now,” she joked. “I guess I have been in the industry for a while now, so I suppose, when you think about it, that’s probably right.

“It's just nice to be recognised with the life membership, and it is a huge honour even though it might mean I’m old.

uncle Eddie Foyle named the pups and one was named Safe Keeping. “I liked that, and decided that Keeping would be a name I would use from then,” Charmaine said.

There have been hundreds of greyhounds who have carried the Keeping moniker, many having etched their names on trophies around the country including Caitlyn Keeping who won the Black Top final at Newcastle’s Gardens in 2018 and the Bathurst and Dubbo Gold Cups the following year.

“I think my highlight would have to be Caitlyn Keeping winning the Black Top. She missed the final but got a run as a reserve and started from box 8. It was a good field but she was able to get across, lead, and held on to win.

“But I get satisfaction seeing the dogs go from pups to the racetrack. It shows we're doing the right thing. If you're breeding pups and they're not getting to the track and they're not winning,

“I’ve been on the board with some very well credentialed people, and in particular the help and guidance I received from Bryan Maxwell - who has since passed away – our former club president.

“There’s a lot of work involved in running the club, it’s not so much me now. I am still in there a couple of days a week doing stuff, whether it be cleaning up after a late night, just helping everyone else, and everyone does a great job. You’ve got to pull your weight, it’s as simple as that, and if you don't, it just doesn't work.”

Family was the entry point for Charmaine into greyhounds. Her late father, Ron Roberts, and her grandfather both had greyhounds. She says that of all his grandkids, she is the only one the love of greyhounds has been passed down to.

you mustn’t be doing the right thing.

“And if you're not doing it right, if you're not getting winners and succeeding, and keeping your head above water, you're obviously doing something wrong, you’ve got the wrong bitches, or the wrong dogs, or you can’t train a dog.”

Charmaine, one of the most successful female trainers in NSW, who today we celebrate on International Women’s Day, not only has results on the track but importantly off it when racing careers end and she sets about rehoming her dogs.

“You get them desexed, you put six kilos on them, they just run around the property here and they get used to my house dogs. I take them to the tracks on race nights and try and let people pat them, and not because I'm taking them to find them at home, I'm taking them so they get used to everything.”

COURTNEY NORBURY

“I worked for a year in various jobs before this job at the club came up and I applied for it.

“I was in horses beforehand and I knew nothing about this industry. I think that was a good thing in many ways because I came into the industry looking at it as a blank canvas. I came in with eyes wide open and treated everything as it came.

“I was very lucky that I had people who have been doing this for years and know the industry inside and out - Shayne and Charmaine and Ellen Harris - who each gave me all of their wisdom, and advice and taught me everything I know now.”

There’s no ‘I’ in Courtney, or Norbury, or Dubbo, and she makes it very clear that everything is a team effort at the club, particularly on race nights.

“A standard race meeting we’re here from 2.30pm until late, as late as midnight, but for our big nights like the Country Classic, weeks and weeks and months go into the lead up organising it,” she said.

“Yes, a lot of work goes into it, but when you see everything come together and run smoothly, it's a sense of relief afterwards in a good way. Like you know everything has gone exactly how you wanted it to

When asked how to best describe his club’s secretary, Dubbo Greyhound Club president Shayne Stiff simply said: “Courtney just gets stuff done.”

“Like all of our staff here she makes it happen, she’s very pleasant to all the owners and trainers, and she understands and looks after the needs of those more senior participants and guests,” Stiff said.

‘Courtney’ is Courtney Norbury who had no idea what she would be getting into when she decided to leave country Victoria, headed for the Central West of NSW five years ago.

“I came up from Kinglake West in Victoria with my partner back in 2019, and when I moved up to Dubbo, he introduced me to Shayne and (his partner, trainer) Charmaine Roberts,” she explained.

work, everyone's happy, and everyone who has come through the gate has had a good time.

“And it's a team effort here at Dubbo, and every one of us is truly proud when you sit there after a big night and reflect on the success.”

Courtney was individually recognised at the 2021 Greyhound Racing NSW annual Greyhound of the Year awards when she won the Young Achiever Award.

“I had no idea any of it was happening, but Shayne and Charmaine both knew," she said.

"When my name got called out, I thought “oh God that's me.” It was a great honour and a very proud moment, but I wouldn't be there without the people behind me."

Courtney is one of a number of women who have helped make the Dubbo club one of the most progressive in the State, and it is fitting that along with her fellow women in all clubs are celebrated today on International Women’s Day.

“It's not really unusual these days to have women running the show at clubs. There's a lot of women in the industry from administrators to trainers, owners, officials and

attendants, and to see more and more young females getting involved is a great thing,” she said.

“We've actually just had two young girls start as kennel attendants here. It's good to see all the young ones coming in and wanting to get involved.

“The old stereotype of greyhound people has long gone. It's a totally different industry now. We see the young ones, especially the young women, getting involved and getting into the winner's circle here and quite often you see their photos popping up on social media saying what a great night they had at the Dubbo dogs.

“We get a lot of young men and women, especially over the Christmas period who love coming here to celebrate, and families bring their kids and we always have activities for them.

“It's relaxed, it's fun and it’s inclusive. There's no expectation of what you need to look like or what you need to be doing or whatever. You just come along, be yourself and have fun.”

DANIELLE MATIC

When you’ve had a greyhound in the kennel like sprinting star Wow, the word ‘retirement’ can be a difficult one to get your head around.

But when Danielle Matic eventually called an end to Wow’s distinguished racing career in 2022, it was very much a double-edged sword.

“It’s always hard when you’ve had a dog like Wow. You’re always looking for the next one and hoping for one of his kids to be as good as him. It’s hard to find any dog with the same ability as him and that takes a bit to get used to,” Matic said.

“You’re no longer in the big races and every time we took him to the track, we knew we were a good chance of winning. Then that run ends, and nobody really cares when you don’t have a Wow.”

“But it’s also a lot of pressure to train a dog like him and I’m not a very confident person at the best of times. I would often get nervous and worry I’ve missed something. The first start I gave him after the Golden Easter Egg in 2021, he walked out of the boxes at

Wenty Park and I could have hidden.”

The 43-year-old rides the emotional waves alongside her mum and fellow trainer, Ruth, who helped introduce her to the sport almost four decades ago.

“Mum’s uncle, Kevin Johns, had dogs and my grandma, Beryl Elvy, used to help him out and that’s how mum and dad got started. All the pictures of me when I was little are with dogs or pregnant bitches or puppies. We’d always go to the races and we’d play with the other kids, it was great fun,” Matic said.

“I was helping make dinners at eight and I remember being at the trial track one day when I was 10 and catching my favourite bitch. She pulled me over at the old Richmond Grove straight track and a trainer named Bernie Delaney yelled out “you didn’t let the dog go, that’s all that matters”.”

Matic, based at Canyonleigh in the NSW Southern Highlands, is one of the many successful women in the greyhound industry being celebrated today on International Women’s Day.

The Group race winning trainer now embarking on a stud career with Wow despite the intense competition from his famous father.

“It’s been really hard for him because he’s a son of Fernando Bale [who has sired 800 more winners in 2024 than any other dog so far) and there are so many good stud dogs and race bitches from Fernando already,” Matic lamented.

“But his first pups are starting to race now which is really exciting. The pups are racing now are ones that were produced when he was still racing and we’re trying to get one ready for the big Magic Maiden series in April.”

DENICE WARREN

Denice Warren’s father Frank taught her several lessons growing up, but one of the more important things that she still abides by today is that all animals are different. They are all individuals and you need to treat them as such.

Frank Day was legendary in harness racing, training and sitting behind the likes of star pacers such as Friendly Footman, the 1981 Miracle Mile winner from his Southern Tablelands stables. His son, Denice’s brother Michael, trained the 1982 Miracle Mile winner Gundary Flyer.

Growing up Denice worked her father’s horses, was a champion show rider, and a jockey, before a fall and impending childbirth, saw him step away from the saddle.

These days, and for more than 40 years now, greyhounds have been her racing animal of choice, although she did also show American miniature horses and is dabbling in dachshund breeding at the moment. So, back to her father Frank’s lessons.

“My dad always taught us with the horses that they are all individuals. You’re not going to work a dog or horse, like you would the next one. All have to be treated as individuals and I have taken that philosophy through to the dogs and it has been successful,” she explained.

“It can be very hard in the sport. You just don't get given a good dog. I've been a bit like dad, in that I've had to make the dog, I just haven't been handed good dogs. But there is of course a lot of satisfaction when you work with a dog and get it to become a good dog.”

While it was horses for her father and her siblings, when Denice married bookmaker Errol Warren she found her way into greyhounds.

Errol was at one time the secretary of the Goulburn Greyhound Club, and also is a former vice president of the club.

Errol’s good friend Max Tyler gave Denice her first dog, a little bitch called Crack Shot. She thought it was the start of a hobby.

“Errol used to dabble in it a bit, but I thought if you're going to have one, you have got to train it properly, you just can't have it, and race when you feel like it,” she said. “You have to put your heart and soul into it and that’s what I did.

“The bug got me, mainly because I'm a competitive person and I got into greyhound racing and liked it.

“When I started off working with Errol when he was bookmaking, I had a few people ask me to train dogs for them. That’s how it began to snowball.

“I’ve been lucky to get the nice ones that keep you ticking along. One of my favourites was Dusty Moonshine, she broke some distance records. Willie Blues, he was on 0.02s off the old track record at Bathurst, and Mowski Star equalled the 472m track record of Aston Dee Bee at Bulli.”

Denice has been very successful, and with International Women’s Day on March 8, it’s timely that the industry celebrates the achievements of women in the sport such as her.

Since she entered the industry four decades ago, the landscape has shifted, and there are far more women as participants and in various other club and administration roles within greyhound racing.

“Women can train as well as men and there are some very successful ones in the industry at the moment,” she said.

“In fact in some cases I think women are better with a greyhound than a man because I think the dog responds a lot better. Not all cases, but I have definitely seen it happen. You see it with horses too. Many times you will see a horse that will respond better for a woman jockey than what it does a man.

“There's cases that work the other way as well but whether it's the caring nature of a woman compared to a male trainer or whatever it may be, it happens.

“You get a timid dog and you will see it sort of responds a lot better to a woman because generally they have a softer, gentler nature.”

While both men and women are on a more even footing these days, Denice believes the industry needs to start to incentivise young people to attract them.

“We've got to be prepared for the next generation. We can't just be about now. You have a look at the likes of myself. I'm 73 and there really has to be young ones coming in to replace our generation.

“There is no doubt that in recent times there has been a push to try and attract young people, which is great but we really need to encourage that.”

DIMITY MAHER

Without over dramatising it, greyhound racing and her love of it, has literally been a lifesaver for Dimity Maher.

To many in and out of the sport, Dimity is known as The Greyhound Girl, who takes every available opportunity to promote the sport through positive posts on her social media platforms and a podcast. It’s those platforms which have played a significant role during very tough times in her past.

“I’m sure it might sound a bit dramatic to people but it's 100% true,” Dimity says. “It has saved my life.

“I got really, really crook and I dropped a ton of weight very quickly. I honestly thought I had cancer because it was so bad. I had a lot of tests and they really couldn't pinpoint it until I had a colonoscopy and then they said you have Crohn's Disease really bad.”

Crohn’s is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease which cannot be cured and can sometimes cause life-threatening complications.

“It's been a tough 11 years dealing with it, but what's been the good thing is having my page and having greyhound racing, because honestly, without it, there's no way I would be alive because I would have given up so many times.

“But being able to motivate myself, by saying right I have to feel good this week because I want to get to the track because so and so asked me to catch a dog.”

The Greyhound Girl page has an average monthly reach of 1.5 million, and her posts not only feature those success stories in the sport but highlights the love for the greyhound and combats much of the negativity put out there by anti-racing activists. Dimity promotes the entire industry, but often puts a focus on the many young women who have entered the sport in recent times, and who, along with her, we celebrate today on International Women’s Day.

The Page she says was expected to last six months.

“I wanted to use it as something positive for me to focus on, and I just wanted to help promote the industry as much as I could. I thought if I can try and put some stuff out there and change people's perceptions, then that’s great.

“I honestly thought it would last six months or so, and I would get sick of it. But it's getting bigger. It's been fantastic. The people I've met has been the biggest thing I've gained from it. So many friends and so many great opportunities from it.

“I try and aim for a couple of posts every day. Sometimes that doesn't always happen but the numbers I get on an average month, my reach will be around 1.5 million people.

“I look at it and go holy heck, there's that many people who are looking at greyhound racing that potentially want to be involved. That's what I get a real kick out of.”

Growing up, Dimity lived “a stone throw” from the Singleton greyhound track. Each Sunday her father Peter would take Dimity, stop at McDonalds, grab some food, and then head to the trials.

Young Dimity would sit with a notepad and pen and write down the colours of the dogs she thought trialled well.

“I’m an only child, my dad, grandfather and all my uncles on dad’s side were all breeders and trainers, so dad encouraged me to get involved. Mum not so much. She thought it wasn’t very girly for me to get involved in, but right now it’s incredible how many women there are in the industry and how many are very successful.

“I feel like my love just grows every day. I just want to be involved as much as I can. I never really thought I'd get into the media side. My goal was always to be a track manager. I wanted to run a track, but once Singleton closed that dream sort of went out the door.

“I've sort of dabbled into a few things, I’ve trained a couple with dad. We've bred some, owned some and then started The Greyhound Girl thing and that's just exploded to beyond what I could have ever dreamed of.”

One of her highlights was being asked to catch Miss Ezmae in the inaugural 715 race at Ladbrokes Gardens. Despite a week of being sick she made sure she was there and as a reward, the Jack and Maree Smithtrained bitch won the race.

Another highlight came at The Gardens on November 22 last year when Ritza Margo, trained by her partner Shaun Flaherty, and handled that day by Dimity, was victorious.

“Handling a winner is something I never ever thought I would do just because I've got very brittle bones and muscles and wrist issues. I thought it’s not for me. I’ll stick to catching but my lovely boyfriend Shaun said you can do it, and I said to the starter Kira (Burnett) please help me I don't want to embarrass myself. Everyone at The Gardens was fantastic. They knew how big of a deal it was to me, and the fact that she come out and won in the best of the day time ….

“If I never handle another dog in my life, I'm quite happy with that.”

EMMA MACKENZIE

“Mum asked if I was ok and I said I am for now, but I debriefed a lot with my mum,” Emma said. “My mum’s a nurse. She's never actually had to do it (perform CPR). My sister, she's a nurse too and she’s never had to either. Yet here I was, doing it at my job.”

When the call for first aid came through, Emma didn’t sense any urgency. She continued on scanning dogs, and giving the all clear to the chairman of stewards. Assuming it was nothing major, maybe a sprained ankle, and others would be there attending to the problem, she gradually made her way there.

“I got there and oh crap. Greg's on the floor. Greg’s turning blue. I guess I'm going to be the one to do it.

“I've done extensive CPR and First Aid, first response training. I was a fulltime lifeguard for four years previously at Wet and Wild (Raging Waters). I'm also heavily involved with the Rural Fire Service in my area.

“It was like my training kind of just kicked in. I just turned off the emotions and did what I needed to do. I had a feeling there would be a point in my life where I'd have to do it, just with some of the circumstances and situations I’m in, like I'll go to a car crash or a house fire with the RFS and I was a lifeguard so there was

Emma Mackenzie was heading home after a fairly eventful night working at Wentworth Park when she called her mother Chantelle and said: “So, I did this thing tonight …”

In her role as a steward with the Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission, Emma was working at Headquarters and excited about the night’s racing with heats of Group 1 National Derby and National Futurity on the card.

But back to that conversation with mum and the thing. It was performing CPR and saving the life of trainer Greg Corless who had collapsed and gone into cardiac arrest.

the likelihood of it happening there, even in my own home with an elderly grandparent. But I didn’t think it would happen at work.

“I’m just glad I was able to do it successfully. He kept going on about how I broke 12 ribs, but statistically he had a very slim chance. I’m just glad he’s ok.

“I just hope for the industry it's a bit of a wake up call. If you don't have a defibrillator at the track, please get one and train the staff up to be able to do what they need to.”

Emma is one of many women now involved in the greyhound racing industry, from owners and trainers, to club officials, vets, administrators, and stewards like herself, and today as an industry we celebrate them all on International Women’s Day.

“There are so many trainers dominating at the moment, women like Melinda Finn, Kayla Coleman, and Jodie Lord, they're trainers I deal with frequently, women who have pursued it fulltime, where traditionally that would have been more of a male thing,” she said.

“We have female stewards around the State now, and there's a movement of women moving into the industry and I hope we see more women in

important roles. There are a lot of really strong women coming through.”

Emma’s grandmother was one of those strong women in the industry. Chirstine Mackenzie was secretary of the Richmond club for more than a decade, and also worked at the Greyhound Control Board.

It’s not surprising Emma found her way into the sport as her grandfather Don was a steward and also secretary of the Penrith, Bulli, Singleton and Wentworth Park clubs at various times. Her father Grant worked as a starter and did odd jobs at Richmond and Penrith.

“My nan would pick me up from school and some nights when there was a race meeting on, I'd be running around the track as she got the race meeting together.

“Both my grandparents trained and reared as well so I spent my childhood running around with and socialising the pups. I guess I was destined to find my way into the industry.

“I used to work at Richmond club while I was doing my university studies - I actually have a degree in environmental sciences. I ended up swabbing and really liked that, and some of the stewards suggested I should come across with them as I would be good at it, so I applied for a casual role, got it, and I really haven't looked back.

“But I never contemplated training. I really enjoy travel and having dogs ties down your lifestyle and it’s not for me. I think if I end up leaving stewarding, potentially I could own, but training, I don’t think will happen.

“Where I am, I think I'm an asset to the industry and the team, and I’m really enjoying it.”

FAYE HERBERT

For the sake of the story, you would love to hear that from day one, Fernando Bale - the greyhound many consider the best of all time - had greatest written all over him.

How he showed speed no other pup had ever possessed, how at an early age he would toy with his brother and sisters, and how he was the most intelligent pup his breeders had ever put a collar on.

Certainly, considering he would win 35 of 44 races, win seven Group 1s and earn over $1 million long before massive boosts to prizemoney would make a dog a millionaire by winning just one race, the story is almost plausible.

Faye Herbert was working at the late Paul Wheeler’s property when Fernando Bale was a pup.

“There was a job going with the Wheelers and I just applied and got it,” she recalled. “I was looking after the small puppies, from birth to three months, then off they would go over the back, to grow up.

“Fernando grew up with me, and so did Fanta (Bale) and Dyna Double One. We had them all.

“What was he like … he was a pup like any other one. When you pick them up in the morning, you don’t know what you’ve got. His sisters are still around at the farm and they’re 10 now.”

Along with Fernando Bale, that other Wheeler pair, Fanta Bale and Dyna Double One, were the first three millionaire greyhounds in the sport.

Sadly, Paul passed away in 2021 with his wife Janice and son Brendan now running the operations at Murringo near Young, and Faye has spent a decade working there.

“I'm still with the whelping side of things plus guiding them from pups to three months, working with the ear branding, and a lot of the vet stuff, and I do a little bit with the breaking. I really like what I do and working for the Wheelers.”

Faye Herbert is one of so many women in the industry and all are being honoured today on International Women’s Day. She says that the greyhound industry in an equal opportunity one with the level playing field seeing so many successful women in the sport.

Like so many involved in the sport, Faye’s introduction to greyhounds came early in life. Growing up in South Australia, a neighbour had a greyhound and asked 12-year-old Faye to look after it. It wasn’t long before she was bitten by the bug and was catching dogs as a teenager at the races.

As she got older she moved into showing horses, but when a partner was interested in greyhounds Faye got back involved.

“My partner was a police officer so we were based out in the country. We bred them, prepared them to race and then sent them into the into the city to trainers to race, ready to go and most won their first start.

“I got into training and got a dog from Victoria and his form read 8888. He was sore everywhere, every muscle I think he had he was so sore. So I got him right, and he won his first two for me.”

Faye eventually headed to NSW living at Badgerys Creek, then the Southern Highlands before working her way south to Wombat, then to Young where she now lives.

“I got out of dogs for a while and had some really good show horses and was doing that for a few years. I’ve had quarter horses and appaloosas and now I have paints, but I also now have greyhounds,” she said.

“I also took a bit of time out for a while too and helped a friend whose father passed away, with her standardbreds. Yes, there is a theme there, I do love all animals. They are our life.”

Faye has raced some handy greyhounds in her time in the sport, and opts for Get A Grip – who after a mixed career at the track became very successful in coursing and at one point winning the time-honoured Waterloo Cup and the Coursing Dog of the Year title, as one of her best.

FIONA HALLINAN

It’s one of those “don’t tell mum and she won’t know” sort of things. But Fiona Hallinan just needs to take a peek out the window to find the truth.

Out that window peering on to their property at Clergate, near Orange, Fiona can see dogs. Lots of dogs.

“Well they like to tell me there's about 250, but I know there's more. It’s like: ‘Don't tell mum’,” Fiona explained.

“We’ve just got a very big family. That’s what I always say to everyone, it's like having hundreds of kids. They are all part of the family, every single one of them.”

It would be remiss on a day such as today when we celebrate International Women’s Day that the contribution of Fiona Hallinan to the greyhound industry is not recognised.

The Hallinan name is synonymous with greyhound racing. Fiona and her husband Martin have been involved in the sport for several decades as owners, breeders, rearers, and trainers and left an indelible mark on the industry.

Together they have won so many of the industry’s great races from cups to derbies, futurities, the prized victory in the 2019 Golden Easter Egg with Zipping Bailey, and more recently Zipping Orlando’s win in the $500,000 Ladbrokes 715 at Ladbrokes Gardens in Newcastle.

Scan the race fields or results and every time you see the prefix Zipping - and there will be literally hundreds - the greyhound would have at one time or another been seen out that Hallinan window.

“People ask what’s the best race we have won or the biggest thrill, but to me the best part of being involved in greyhounds is just looking after them … being with them,” she explained.

“It's just hilarious sitting here looking at the window watching them play when they're younger, and they are just like humans because they go through the stages just the way we do it.

“They're out running as pups and then you can tell when they're ‘teenagers’ because they're running around and doing different things. And then it’s like they’ve grown up and they just come into the shed because “this is what we do”. They sort of just get on with it.

“That whole process is just great to see, and then they get to the track and go around.”

Unlike many who are born into the industry, it wasn’t the case for Fiona. She used to show horses and was a part of that circuit. She also used to walk the local dogs.

“When I was a kid I would go and round up all the local neighbourhood dogs and take them for walks. I just loved animals really,” she explained.

“I had had nothing to do with greyhounds before I met Martin in 1987, but we've been together ever since then, and built up to what we have got now.

“I was always just drawn to rural life and I think just coming into the greyhounds, for me it was just a matter that I just love looking after them and watching them grow and play, and then they go off to the races, and eventually become pets. It’s the whole cycle.”

Fiona and Martin’s children Damian and Cameron are both now involved in the industry.

They were never pressured to step in, and Damian first “went away and did some other stuff” before coming back to the sport.

“The fact that they're here now, that's why we're as big as what we are, otherwise there's no way Martin and I would have done it ourselves,” Fiona said. “We've always had some employees who help us and who have been with us for years and years and years, but it is great that Damian - and his wife Jamie -and Cameron are now right into it.

“And our granddaughter Amelia, she's here on weekends and after school helping out, and she loves it, and so does our grandson Riley. Whether they are the next generation here, who knows?

“Seeing a lot of younger people getting involved in the industry is really great, and I think there are also more women now than there were when I first became involved.”

And while the feature races are important and memorable, so too are other milestones, like last month when after 17 months sidelined with injury, Zipping Conway returned and won first-up at Richmond.

“Watching Conway at Richmond was great. I was shouting ‘go old boy, go, go’. The racing at the elite level is excellent but it's also those little, little milestones, that a dog does themselves, that are so good. And yes, I was like a proud mother.”

HAYLEY MOFFITT

Around 18 months ago, Hayley Moffitt decided to move back into her parents’ home at Gunning.

She had grown up around greyhounds, knew plenty about them, but never truly committed. She always had an exit plan and as such, she could at any time say: “it's not for me now”.

But not this time.

“If you can commit to it - and let’s not muck around, it is a big commitment - you can succeed. It's not rocket science,” she said.

“I’d never really committed. But it's something that I'm actually genuinely good at. It's something I get. But you wouldn’t do it unless you loved it.

“And think about, I can spend more time with my kids and be with my family and it's a job where you sort of get to just play with your pets all day. And then you get to go to the races. And it's better than working 17 hour days doing something like feeding cattle.”

The cattle reference is when Hayley decided to try something other than greyhounds.

“I met my now ex-husband and sort of went my own way. We bought cattle trucks and we did that for a while, and travelled around to various stations up in the Northern Territory. But I have found that greyhounds are like leaving your hometown, you always come back. It’s a bug that bites you and you stay bitten.”

Now might be a time to introduce mum and dad – Jodie and Andy Lord, Sydney’s premier trainers for the past four years, and whose greyhounds have won numerous Group races around the State including the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg, and the world’s richest race, the Million Dollar Chase, and Hayley kept a distant eye on the success her parents were having while she was away.

She returned home and although not fully committed, she did begin working with her parents.

“Back then Canberra was racing and I remember I was still boxing dogs the day before I had my daughter. The next day, I got up, did the dogs, finished up and said I'm going to have a baby and I went and had Andi Lee.

‘We went and bought a house not far from dad’s and I had the kids (she also has Trixie Lee) and I don't know how my mum did it growing up. She had three kids and was doing dogs 24/7. I don’t know how she did it. She is an inspiration to me.”

A divorce, a job as a stock and station agent, time spent off with “little life adventures” before she came home

and decided to commit to working with the greyhounds.

“Greyhounds keep me grounded. They keep you accountable and keep you committed.

“It's a huge commitment. It's seven days. I get home from a race meeting and by the time I've got all the dogs in, fed them, washed them and got them into their beds, I get to bed at three and I'm back up at 5.30am.

“My days are so tightly scheduled now. Up at 5.30am get the race dogs done, then get all the broodies (broodbitches) done, get the pups done, get back up and work the race dogs, by the time eight o'clock comes, I need to be getting kids ready for school. You need everything on time and, like I said, I

don't know how my mum did it with three kids and they had a phenomenal amount of dogs back then as well.

“Both dad and mum are great. They guide me and help me whenever I need it and while I always think I don’t need it, they are always there with advice for me.

“Obviously there are rewards with winning and feature races, but just watching pups you've whelped and reared, getting them to the racetrack and watching syndicates get such a thrill out of it is very satisfying, and all the friends you make along the way, that’s really rewarding.”

One thing Hayley has noticed as a big change in the industry, is the camaraderie among the women, who

are all being celebrated today on International Women’s Day.

“It's nice to see women sticking with women in the game, which I've found a lot lately, really standing by each other and having each other's back and supporting each other. It's awesome.

“I think females have a really good eye for detail and attention. Over the years there's been plenty of dogs where dad has said: you've got to go tonight because that dog will only go for a female.” There's plenty of dogs in our kennel now that just respond better to a female.

“But I think it's fantastic seeing so many women in the game as opposed to 15 years ago. You'd go to the track back then and it was just male dominated and literally all your friends were males.

“Now I go to the track and I'm at the table you know, with Caitlin Brewer and, and Sarah Easey, and you've got women like Minnie Finn winning lots of races and they're all inspirational.”

HELEN AYRE

You wouldn’t know now, but there was a time when greyhounds were not the favourite of Helen Ayre.

As most in the region know, Helen is the secretary of the local greyhound club at Moree, and with partner Neil Dallison, they have had some great success as owners and trainers in the industry.

But it wasn’t always the path she expected to tread. In fact she just plain didn’t like greyhounds when she was younger.

“I used to see a local trainer, Sammy Sabine and his family walking his dogs when I was younger and I would think they were ugly dogs because they would poop everywhere,” Helen recalled.

“How things have changed. I've just fallen in love with them. They're like children. They have all got their own personalities.

“Strangely enough when I met and became the partner of Neil’s, he seemed to be friends with friends of mine that I've known for 30 years. What I did not realise was that they were all involved in greyhounds.

“And that’s how I got involved.

“And a funny thing was Sammy talked us into buying our first dog. We had success and then people just offered dogs to us. We got a lot of dogs from Barry Gibbons, in Sydney, which sort of started us off, and Bobby Green from Coonamble, and Jamie McHugh.”

Many say Helen Ayre is the backbone of greyhound racing in Moree, and it is fitting that she should be recognised in the industry and region today on International Women’s Day.

Helen has worked tirelessly for more than a decade at the Moree Greyhound Club, and will be there again front and centre at the club’s big carnival over Easter.

“I became involved with greyhounds with that first one back in about 2004, then started working at the club around 2010,” Helen explained.

“One of the girls, she had a real love of the greyhounds and her family loved greyhounds, but she had some family issues and couldn't do what needed to be done here at the club. So, I don't know how but I got thrown in at the deep end, and I’m still trying to swim.”

Helen and Neil have had their share of handy greyhounds over the years, winning races at Gunnedah, Coonamble, Coonabarabran, Muswellbrook, their home track at Moree, and also at Brisbane’s Albion Park.

“We had one that won at Albion Park, Dalair Pearl, but she would just come on season every six months, so you would have to stop and lose her for about three months, but she was very good,” Helen said.

“We had Should We Know win a Best 8 at Muswellbrook a few years back now, and we have enjoyed some success at the annual Coonamble carnivals too.

“But as I said I just love them all. They are like my kids. Who would have thought it would have ended up this way.”

JESS FOTHERGILL

Jess Fothergill’s school guidance counsellor would not have had too many problems in making suggestions of career paths.

It was all there in front of them, documented in drawings.

“I always wanted to be a dog trainer,” Jess conceded. “When I was at school, instead of doing my school work I'd be drawing pictures of kennels and dogs and tracks. As a kid I'd be the one who would be playing around with all their toys, pretending they were greyhounds racing around a racetrack.

“You could say I was a bit obsessed, and that obsession has continued throughout my life.”

“I was lucky actually. I nominated him for the Cup as well as a grade five race. Luckily, I got into the grade five race as he clearly wasn’t good enough for the Cup heats and dad would have killed me if he had got a start. But it all worked out.”

Jess left home and learnt more about the sport from experienced trainers such as John Maple, before embarking on becoming a hobby trainer.

She enjoyed a lot of success with her team in Victoria for almost a decade before meeting Clint Colaiacovo, packing up and relocating with Clint to Glenfield Park in Wagga Wagga.

“I actually met Clint at Bendigo when I would go there a bit,” she explained. “He was originally from Wagga, we started seeing each other, he moved back there and I followed. We’ve been here for five years now.

“I really enjoy it. It was a little bit of adjustment at the start being so far from the city and the beach and everything that’s nice and close in Victoria, but because of where we are I still get back across the border to race fairly often and sometimes stay at dad’s place which is only a few hours away.”

Like so many young girls and boys, Jess was born into the sport. Her father Brian “had a couple of greyhounds” at their home near Shepparton, and as an early teenager Jess would tag along to the track and catch the dogs.

“Dad was always involved in greyhounds, and I was always helping him out with the dogs, always wanting to get involved,” she said. “I got my first dog - I wasn’t old enough to have it my name so it raced in dad's name - when I was about 15. His name was Apache Spur and he won first-up for me at Shepparton and I caught the bug straight away. That was it. That was going to be me from that moment on.

Jess has six greyhounds in the kennel with their combined tally rising to 16 when you include Clint’s team.

“It's a team effort with us, but the ones in my name I choose where they race and how they work and he’s the same with his dogs, but we're still doing them together, and working together every morning, and of course helping each out whenever help is needed.”

Jess enjoyed some great success at an elite level late last year with her chaser Scorching Boy.

He qualified for the finals of the Group 3 Goulburn Cup in October, then reached the final of the Group 3 Bidgee Cup at Wagga in November, and then in December reached the final of the Group 2 Maitland Cup.

“Yeah, that was huge those few weeks. To make the Group finals was very exciting, in fact when he won his heat and made the Maitland Cup final, that night before the race I was too excited and got no sleep at all.

“But it’s just good to know that all your hard work is paying off and that you are doing something right.”

While Scorching Boy was living up to his name, Jess had his kennelmate Agent Chevrolet absolutely flying.

Through November, December and into January, Agent Chevrolet won 10 in a row, eight at Wagga and a pair of wins at Dubbo.

“He was a maiden and a few trainers had a few issues with him and he didn’t really want to chase. I thought he’d be a placegetter dog for us, so I bought him cheap. I knew he could run but he had some problems, but we sorted those things out and he’s been huge. Whether he can go to the next step is yet to be seen, but we’ve already got so much more than we expected from him.”

Since Jess took over as trainer the dog has won 13 of 17 starts and been placed three other times.

Jess Fothergill is one of a number of female trainers carving her niche in the industry, and it’s appropriate that today on International Women’s Day, she, along with other women in the sport, is celebrated.

“There are so many women having a great run in the industry right now, and one of the best things about this industry is that everyone, men and women, are always offering encouragement and help if needed.

“It makes you proud to be a part of it.”

JUDITH RICHARDSON

It was the early 1960s, and while they didn’t realise it at the time, newlywed teenagers John and Judy Richardson were actually dipping their toes into what would be a major part of their lives for the next half a century.

“I was only 16 and John was only 18 when we got married,” Judy recalled. “We've been married 59 years in a couple of weeks.

“When we first got married, we were on a very small income and we used to walk down to Wollongong dogs. That used to be our night out. We used to go down there and watch the dogs because it didn't cost anything and that was about all we could afford on our night out.

“Apart from those nights neither John nor I had had anything to do with greyhounds before that.

“But it all started soon after that. We went to Sydney to live and we had a couple of dogs in the backyard, mucking around with them and we won a bag of kibble once and we thought we'd won the Golden Easter Egg.

“And of course, once they get in your blood, it's very hard not to have them, and John and I have now been involved for about 50 years.”

Judy Richardson is one of thousands of women in the industry who we celebrate today on International Women’s Day.

“I think there's more women involved now than what there was when we first started out. It was really a men's sport to start with but there’s a lot of successful women in the sport now.

“It’s easy for women to get involved in and compete on an even footing with men. This is a sport now where women and men don’t have to spend a lot of money to get involved yet. But, if you happen to just get that one dog - like Billy or even just a reasonable dog now - the money that's involved in it means you can earn a really good living.”

The Richardsons have had their share of good dogs along the way and had a lot of success breeding from a broodbitch called Electra Bale who was given to them by the late Paul Wheeler.

“We had quite a few successful litters out of her, and when people saw that, they started sending dogs down here to us to race.

“She was an extraordinary broodbitch. Most of Electra Bale’s pups that we had won races. We did get a lot of champion dogs out of her and we won the Puppy Classic at Dapto with one of her dogs, Electric Grace. We had all the Electric dogs and had a lot of success and a lot of fun with them.”

While they had success, nothing would compare to when Billy entered their Kanahooka kennels.

Billy to the Richardsons was Sunburnt Highway to the racing world. He started 152 times, won 51 of those and was placed in another 47. He amassed $355,675 in earnings, but more incredible was his record in the city, winning 39 races at Wentworth Park, more than any other greyhound ever has, with the highlight coming with the $100,000 Masters Meteor victory in 2020.

“Billy just took us on a fantastic ride. We had such an unbelievable time with him. You just put him in the car and took him racing and he didn't care where he was going as long as he was in that car. You would get to Wentworth Park and he would be sound asleep. But as soon as he heard that lure … it flicked a switch.

“He just loved to chase and run but at home he would just lay around and be no trouble at all. He would still go racing if you gave him half a chance.

“We've got a very, very good lifestyle thanks to Billy.” Billy, too, is enjoying the good life. The Richardsons purchased the well-bred, unraced broodbitch Zipping Twix who had a litter of 11 pups to Billy.

“We can see his nature in a couple of these pups and they are very similar to him and what he was like as a pup,” said Judy.

“We've now got 11 pups here and somebody sitting beside me (John) wants to keep them all. We’ll keep them until we break them in and then go from there.

“John hasn't been well and one thing that we wanted to do, was to see Billy’s pups on the ground.

“No pups will have been reared better than these pups. If they can run, they can run, if they can’t well, they can’t, but we'll make sure that they've had the best of everything and been broken in properly before they get there. Then we'll see what happens and if they have half the ability and attitude of Billy, they’ll be all right.”

KAT ERNST

It’s a little bit like entering the annual Easter Egg raffle when you don’t like or want, chocolate. But there was a method to the madness and more than a decade on, it was the foot in the door Kat Ernst hasn’t look back from.

It was 2013 and Sky Racing were conducting a contest called Star Search. Contestants sent audition tapes with a panel selecting the winner and that person would become an on-air presenter.

“I remember doing the audition video and the first thing I said was I don't want to be a presenter,” she recalled. “I just wanted to work behind the scenes. Mark Duclos and Brad Adam called me, brought me in for an interview, and I got a job as an associate producer.”

While it wasn’t the plan back then, a lot has happened in that decade, and Kat is now a part of Sky’s presenter team covering greyhounds as well as still working in production.

“I started doing the trainer profiles and I was always hoping to do that and be off camera. I have sort of undergone a bit of a transformation myself in the last couple of years (she lost 75kgs), and just gained a bit of confidence and perspective that I never had, I started bit by bit, and they put me on radio and I started doing a lot more writing for the website and then I doing some on track interviews and the feedback was very positive.

“I’m glad I gave it crack and I’ve got plenty to learn, but I'm enjoying

being on track and talking to the participants and it's definitely been challenging for me to learn but it's been a good role for me.

“I think it helps because a lot of the participants know me. I've grown up around greyhounds and have an understanding of participants. I think people feel they can trust me.”

Kat grew up in Lochinvar in the Hunter Valley with her mum and dad while her uncle was “about two minutes up the road and always had greyhounds”. She fell in love with them and spent a lot of time at his house.

“I always thought that I would train them or own them. Growing up I wanted to be a vet, got into animal science and wanted to go down that avenue, but as an only child I didn't want to move away from home,” she explained. “So just went to Newcastle Uni and did communications.

“I was working at the Maitland Mercury in advertising and Tony Edmunds - who now runs the Maitland Club - was the sports editor. He owned greyhounds and we got to chatting and I told him how much I loved the industry. He said they didn’t have a greyhound columnist and I took that as an open invitation. I went home and penned an article and put it on his desk and said, I'm good at writing, let me have a go. He called me back the next day and said I could do a weekly column and that's how it all started.”

Homesickness hit Kat while working at Sky, and she begrudgingly decided to pack up and head home.

“I had a partner at the time and we were getting serious with wanting to start training dogs on our own, so I made the decision to move home and give that a go,” she said. “And I loved every moment of it and we had a lot of success.

“I look back and don’t regret leaving Sky at the time, but after about four years, I decided to go back to Sky and that was just before COVID which was actually a blessing in disguise because I was able to do a little work from home in Dungog, and able to have the best of both worlds.

“I think I was probably naive and I let people really dictate to me when I was younger. I think in the last 18 months I've really taken control of my job and myself and my life and I feel like in the last 12 months, I really figured out what I wanted to do and now I am making inroads to doing that.

“I've lost 75 kilos, but it wasn't something that I did to get on camera. It was something I did for myself, and I think I'm a different person than what I was two years ago. I'm confident, happy and I think I do a better job because of who I am now too.”

Her most memorable moments on air came in April last year. Handling her favourite dog Belmont Bullet, Kat was overcome with emotion when the dog won the semi-final and qualified for the final of the Golden Easter Egg.

“I still look back at that Easter Egg and it’s my greatest moment in greyhound racing,” she said. “We (with her expartner Joe McFadyen) bred that dog, we actually bought his mother as a pup from Queensland, we broke her in ourselves, we pre-trained her, trained her, bred the litter, whelped the litter. We did everything with them from day one, and that dog, I didn't want to sell him as a pup. He was my boy from day one. So to see him do what he did was just unbelievable.

“I was so proud of him and he went on to make a few group finals and won the Maitland Cup.

“Joe and I had a lot of success. We’re not together now but we're good, and I’m still one of his biggest supporters.”

Like many of our state’s participants, family ties form a massive part of Kayla Ollerton’s connection with greyhound racing.

And as we celebrate International Women’s Day, it seems fitting that Ollerton’s fascination with the sport is all thanks to a strong matriarchal influence.

“My grandmother used to breed greyhounds in Binnaway and race them at Coonabarabran. I remember going to her place when I was about four and I’d try to have running races with them up the straight track. I never won, but I tried,” Ollerton laughed.

KAYLA OLLERTON

“I knew a bit about the breed and liked the look of them, but my grandma sold her property and I didn’t go back to a track for a while after that. I ended up meeting my partner, Jason Tomey, about 15 years later and he was into the dogs, and I fell totally in love with them all over again.”

The proud mother of four, Callum (11), Jaxon (9), Lochie (5) and Brodie (4), admits her children are also showing a similar level of enthusiasm about the sport.

“Callum turns 12 in May and he’s counting down the days until he can get his handlers license and start helping with the dogs. Jaxon is cranky because he can’t do the handling yet but I can’t wait to watch that evolve and see the kids grow into the sport,” Ollerton said.

“Jaxon in particular has a really keen eye with the dogs, he’ll watch them on TV and tell me when I get home “mum, you need to watch this replay because she’s throwing her back leg”, he’s so cluey and switched on and nine out of ten times he’s right, which is amazing to me.”

“And my two youngest are always out there hosing down the dogs and playing with them so the dogs get a lot of love and attention.”

The Scone resident draws a lot of similarities between parenthood and greyhound ownership, especially after recently whelping her first litter of pups.

“I bred with Little Brookie who is out of a fabulous line. Her mother, Brook’s Doll, produced Pindari Express and Ando’s Mac and my babies are almost 12 months old,” an excited Ollerton said.

“Whelping a litter reminded me so much of having my own children. The mum is in the whelping box and as soon as you hear that first little whimper, whether it’s in the middle of the day or at 2am, you’re straight up to see what’s going on.”

“I’ve got a photo of one of my kids curled up with the mother with all the puppies surrounding him, it’s just awesome.”

The 30-year-old also buoyed by the influx of women getting involved in the sport.

“I used to be in races and I’d be the only female trainer walking a dog out. Now there’s races where it’s all women or girls walking to the start and boxing them,” she added.

“A big female presence at the race track always makes it feels like more of a family environment as well which I think is comforting. There’s usually a lot of kids running around and then the partners come along as well and makes a day at the track a great family activity.”

LISA WORTHY

When Lisa Worthy lost her father, uncle and nephew back in 2022, one can only imagine the heartache she must have endured.

At the same time, the Kings Plains-based greyhound trainer was enjoying a breakthrough year on the racetrack.

Kennel star, Apollo Speed, claimed a deserved feature final victory in the Goulburn Fireball as Worthy powered her way to the 2022 Goulburn trainer’s premiership as well.

“What a year it was. I lost my nephew [Aiden], my father [Barry Curle] and my uncle [Kevin] all within a few months of one another, so that was really emotional for us,” Worthy said.

“Dad always had dogs when I was growing up and I was always pestering him to go trialling or to the racetrack. He had three daughters and I was the only one who followed in his footsteps, and I think he really enjoyed having someone to do the dogs with.”

“So it was a really hard year off the track and an especially trying time… but the dogs gave us something to look forward to. They made us get up every morning and kept us going.”

“We’ve got about 34 greyhounds on the property, ranging from race dogs to brood bitches to oldies and retirees. I’m still working three days a week as well so it keeps us busy, but we just love them to pieces.”

Worthy, who is also an assistant in nursing and allied health at Dudley Private Hospital in Orange, co-trains her greyhounds with husband Dave.

The pair, who race predominately at Goulburn after the track at Kennerson Park in Bathurst was washed away in 2022, combined for 57 wins over the past two years.

Dave the first to heap praise on his wife as we celebrate her achievements on International Women’s Day.

“Lisa is just so dedicated to those dogs. I come in at 6pm and have a beer and she might not come in for another hour or so after that. She’s lasering dogs, checking them over and putting coats on them. We’re up at 5.40 in the morning slipping dogs, feeding dogs and then she heads off to work at the hospital,” he said.

“The rug Apollo got for winning the Fireball lays on the lounge here and the only time it goes away is when the grandkids get here so they don’t ruin it. There’s more pictures of dogs on the walls than grandchildren here.”

The Worthy kennel continued its good form in 2023 with Shelly Speed, a half-sister to Apollo Speed, claiming the Greyhound Of The Year trophy at Goulburn as well, while Lisa finished second to fellow Central West participant, Scott Board, in the premiership race.

“It’s a special thing winning these types of awards, a real thrill. We got those dogs from Paul and Pam Braddon and have been blessed to train both Apollo [Speed] and now Shelly [Speed],” Lisa said.

“We also had success with some of their littermates and are in the throw of making Bridies Sugars [a full sister to Apollo Speed] the next brood bitch in the line. We’ve just done all the paperwork and DNA testing for her and when she comes on season next, we’ll think about breeding her to hopefully continue this great run.”

The couple is enjoying the same dizzying levels of success so far this season, but they are buoyed by the commencement of work on the “much-needed” upgrade of the Lithgow racetrack.

“This year we’ve started off slow, but we always seem to hit stride midyear and we’ve got some pups who are getting close to racing. We just can’t wait for Lithgow to be finished because it’s such a great track and we’ve got nowhere else around here to take our dogs,” Lisa said.

“Goulburn and Richmond are both two hours away, so we need Lithgow to get up and running and the likes of Beth Cook, Darren Northey and Andrew Mathias do such a good job so it will be great reward for them too.”

LOUISE WARREN

“I worked at all the different tracks and had many different roles working with Greyhound Racing NSW, and the GBOTA (Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association) and just continued to work my way up.

“I worked as a swab official, mainly in the Hunter region, and Gosford. I also did a little bit of work down at Richmond, some work at Wentworth Park doing swabbing. Look, over the years I have been in numerous roles, a supervisor, a swab official, a starter, every now and then I would help prepare tracks, running trial sessions at Gosford and at Maitland, a starter at the trials, and even driving the tractor.

“Then I saw a role for a steward come up and I just decided to apply and I was given an opportunity to take the role on, and yeah, I just love it.

“My first meeting was at Gosford and I was naturally a bit nervous that night but my fellow stewards were great, and as they say the rest is history.”

History indeed. History was actually made when Louise was chairman of stewards at the Muswellbrook race meeting on October 28. With fellow stewards Madi Watson and Steff Richards they made up the first all-female stewards' panel to officiate at a race meeting in the sport's long history in NSW.

Louise Warren doesn’t fit the mould of a stereotypical, old school, racing steward. There is no scowl on her face, no trilby hat, very few looks of suspicion towards participants and, she is a woman.

Louise is a member of the Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission’s stewards’ panel and officiates at meetings across the Hunter Valley.

“I had spent time as a participant racing greyhounds, but I was just always fascinated with the other side of the fence so to speak,” Louise explained.

“That was a pretty special day for all three of us and it was just a really good feeling. I was very proud, and very, very proud to have the two young girls, Madi and Steff there.

“It was just absolutely brilliant. The girls were fully supportive and the meeting just ran beautifully. You couldn’t have asked for more, even the participants were so supportive. It was a great day.”

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, Louise acknowledged how many women have roles at both GRNSW and GWIC, as well as how many women are industry participants.

“There is a real split of men and women in the industry. Greyhound racing is the sort of industry that's very accepting of women. I have always been fully supported with everything I have done in the industry and it’s the same with the new young girls, young stewards who are coming through as well. It’s very much equal opportunity in this industry.

“It’s great to have young women coming through but they have to be looked after and we are doing that. It’s a great opportunity for these young women to get into roles such as being stewards.

“As a steward your objective is upholding the integrity of the industry and definitely the welfare of the greyhounds. I can’t help myself, I love the greyhounds.”

That love spawned from many years ago when she visited the grandfather of her husband Richard, who had greyhounds. She has been involved in the sport ever since.

“We had a family member that used to race greyhounds and she was really good and gave us one and it went from there,” Louise explained.

“My husband Richard and I had a really big and good team at one stage and we would race and have success up the straight at Wyong and around the Hunter tracks – Maitland and The Gardens as well as at Gosford and at Wentworth Park at times. We won at Wentworth Park with Jorja’s Dream who would have been one of the best we had. She was a beautiful little bitch.

“I think being on that side of the fence has helped me on this side as I can see things from a participant’s perspective as well as that of a steward.

“I just think myself lucky that I am able to work in an industry such as this.”

MELANIE MABBOTT

Talk to most people these days and they will tell you that life can be a real juggle, with work, school, kids, extended family … everyone has balls in the air.

Speak with a greyhound racing participant and it’s more of the same. For Melanie and Anthony Mabbott who call Duri, just south of Tamworth, as their home, it’s a couple of kids, work, school, extended family, lots of travel, oh, and 25 dogs and lots of pastries.

“We have two bakeries in Tamworth. My husband works fulltime running those,” Mel explained. “I was working in the bakery as well as doing the dogs part time until about three years ago, but now he does all that himself.

“My husband is a pastry cook by trade and has done it since he was 16. He'd always worked for other people and then something popped up in town where one of the bakeries was for sale and we sort of went: “You know what, let’s do it”. A couple of years later, we opened up a second one.

“It all happened at once. When we took over the bakery I was pregnant with our daughter Maddison, but we did it, and we handled it and it’s busy, but great now.”

Melanie is one of the top trainers in the region, and one of the many successful women in the greyhound industry being celebrated today on International Women’s Day.

“It doesn't matter in this industry if you're male or female, everyone's equal,” she said. “A few people have said to me as well that you will find dogs that basically do prefer females to males.

“Some of them are very funny like that. I've actually had a couple myself. I guess it’s also because I handle them all the time and they are used to me and my mum as well, but there are definitely some that do prefer females.”

While she is one of the New England’s best trainers, due to her location, Mel’s philosophy has to be “have dog will travel”.

She has 25 greyhounds in the kennel at present, but her nearest TAB racetrack is at Gunnedah, an hour away. Next closest is Muswellbrook, which is two hours away, and she races regularly at Dubbo, Grafton, and Newcastle, which are seven-hour round trips. She also makes trips to Grafton over four hours away, and when the new track opens in Taree very soon, she will resume her treks there, also more than three hours away from home.

“If racing dogs is what you want to do, because of where I live I don't really have any choice but to travel.

“My son Blake is now old enough and he's got his handler’s licence so he helps out. If I can't go for whatever reason, he’ll go and he’ll help out, but Blake works full time as well so that adds to the juggling.

“But I also have my mum Maria who lives on the property with us and she's a great help. She's there every morning, every afternoon and in between. She does everything, even making the coats and bed covers for the dogs. She sews them all herself.”

While her mother is a Godsend now, it was her late father Richard Edmunds who got Mel into greyhound racing.

“My father used to train so I grew up with greyhounds from a young age. It’s not something I thought I would ever find myself doing full time, maybe part time here and there, then when I met my husband, he had shares in a few greyhounds as well.

“My son Blake is now old enough and he's got his handler’s licence so he helps out. If I can't go for whatever reason, he’ll go and he’ll help out, but Blake works full time as well so that adds to the juggling.

“But I also have my mum Maria who lives on the property with us and she's a great help. She's there every morning, every afternoon and in between. She does everything, even making the coats and bed covers for the dogs. She sews them all herself.”

While her mother is a Godsend now, it was her late father Richard Edmunds who got Mel into greyhound racing.

“My father used to train so I grew up with greyhounds from a young age. It’s not something I thought I would ever find myself doing full time, maybe part time here and there, then when I met my husband, he had shares in a few greyhounds as well.

“So that's how we sort of got back into it – me coming from a greyhound family and he had an interest in them as well. So we decided to get a couple, and that led to a couple more and then a couple more and then it just keeps going.

“I did have a couple of years when we got married and had kids when I had a little bit of a break, but we’re back into it full swing now with kids being older, which makes it more manageable.”

While she has won her share of good races with some handy dogs, Mel says there’s not really a standout, although she does mention Tralee Lola who won the $15,000 Gold Maiden Final at last year’s Coonamble carnival, when speaking of a favourite.

“She was first reserve and I didn't think she'd get a run being such a big race there’s not usually a scratching. I found out the morning of the race and to be honest, I hadn't even really looked at the field.

“She was out in box 8 and she’s only little and if she gets stuck out wide into that first bend, she'll be in trouble, but she managed to cross them, and get in front going into that first turn. I wasn't game enough to cheer until after the line because I thought you know something's going to go wrong here, but it didn’t.”

PENNY HUTCHINSON

When Tapitallee local Penny Hutchinson became an “empty nester” in 2022, her life was turned upside down.

“It’s so hard when you bring a little baby home from hospital and they totally depend on you and then all of a sudden, they are all grown up and ready to head out into the world,” Hutchinson said.

“I’ve got three daughters. Carole (31) left for university when she was 17. Anna (26) went to the Navy when she finished school and my youngest, Zoe (22), left about two years ago.”

“The feeling I had once Zoe was gone really took me by surprise. I’d heard of empty nest syndrome, but I used to think “I can’t wait for them to go”. Then when it happened, I wasn’t prepared, I was devastated.”

The 57-year-old turned to the sport of greyhound racing to help fill the gaping void in her life.

“My husband works fulltime so I was sitting at home thinking “what do I do now?”. Covid was still around, and I was a bit lost,” Hutchinson admitted.

“I’d been a greyhound owner for a little while and Donna Campbell, who trains my dog, On The Rocks, was encouraging me to get my trainers license but I kept saying “no way, I don’t know anything about it”.”

“But after a while I gave in. The house got so big without the kids around and the dogs really helped fill that empty hole.”

The rigours of greyhound racing have revved Hutchinson’s engine back into overdrive.

“When I got the pups, that nurturing nature came straight back. You’re always busy, it keeps you interested and it brings me so much joy,” she said.

“I’ve never bet on them, I just love watching them run around. I take them down to the paddock to sniff about and I’ve always loved dogs, they lift your spirits.”

“They cause you worry and disrupt your sleep at times, just like the kids do, and I usually bring them up to the house when they’re not feeling well, but I wouldn’t change a thing.”

The self-dubbed “novice” has already achieved some wonderful results in the training ranks, with War Hawk a recent Group 2 Maitland Cup placegetter and Bingo Fuel a Goulburn Fireball finalist.

“War Hawk’s result was a big shock because I didn’t even know what a Group race was. I had no idea they were so prestigious, and we almost missed the presentation of the rugs because I didn’t know we were supposed to be there,” she laughed.

The softly spoken South Coast-based trainer has embraced her newfound passion despite her lack of experience.

“A lot of things have come up along the way and I’ve had to ask Donna for help, but that’s part of the fun. I don’t have a bull ring or a slipping track like many trainers do but I’ve got 10 acres for them to run around in and I walk them up in the bush. I take them to trial and race them and make do with what I’ve got.”

And what Penny’s got is a renewed purpose for life. All thanks to the dogs.

SARAH MONAGHAN

As a woman who has been heavily involved across all facets of the sport, Sarah Monaghan knows exactly that men and women are on a very even footing in the greyhound industry.

But when she steps outside that bubble and chats with others not so in tune, she realises quickly the misconception still out there in the public.

Sarah, whose brother is Hall of Fame participant Martin Hallinan, started on the family farm in the NSW Central West before moving to Queensland in 2002 with her partner Andrew, before heading to their current home at Doubtful Creek, west of Lismore, 15 years ago.

“I’ve been involved in breeding, racing, training, have been a studmaster, I’ve just about done it all, but I'm at a point in life now that I have probably achieved all that I want to achieve and I’m just poking along at this stage,” Sarah explained.

“During my time in the industry it’s definitely been a level playing field between trainers. I have felt it's always been that way, but looking from the outside in, people that haven't had greyhounds or don't understand greyhounds, the perception is very different.

“It's an eye opener for me to talk to a stranger and they ask me what I do. When I explain to them what I do, a lot take a step back and think: “Oh, I didn't expect that”. They have always looked at the sport as being for 70-year-old, grey haired, men.

“So within the industry, yeah, definitely a level playing field, but externally we’re not there yet. We are starting to break down that perception though I think, but we need to keep trying to get people to the tracks.”

Like many industries around the country, greyhound racing today celebrates the women in the sport on International Women’s Day. While there has been a sustained move over the years to highlight and promote the women in the industry, Sarah believes now is the time to really push it.

“There's a lot more publicity out there and a lot more promotion with the industry now which is great, and the access is there to be able to promote more women in the sport as well. The avenues are there through people like Ladbrokes even, we just need to use them,” she said.

“When I was 16 or 17 I went through a stage where I wasnot quite an ambassador - but was put out there to promote greyhound racing. But sadly nothing ever came of it over the next 10 years regarding women in the sport. I do think now it's probably the time to do that sort of promotion again with so many successful women and girls in the industry.

“We also need to keep bringing younger people through, younger boys and girls. I think there are a hell of a lot coming through at the moment, especially up our way there's a lot of young ones who are interested and keen and a lot of new owners as well. But like I said we need to back ourselves and promote our sport, and keep trying to bring new people in, and nurturing the young ones who do join.

“One of the good things with the sport is that people are only too happy to help if they can. The best way for the majority of newcomers to learn, is to have the guts to ask someone in the industry - your Robbie Brittons and those sorts of people - for advice. That's the way you're going to learn and go forward in whatever you're trying to do in the industry.

“Everyone needs guidance, and there are so many people who want to give it to the next generation.”

Over the years in the industry Sarah has had some smart greyhounds, notably Spanish Belle, a finalist in the 2003 Queensland Greyhound of the Year title won by Elite State, 2005 finalist Tiarta, as well Taye Diggs, Miss Angelique, Royal Pilgrim and more recently Dolly Dutton who won the Group 3 Young Guns at Albion Park last year.

While Andrew and Sarah have called the Northern Rivers home for 15 years, they are set to relocate to Queensland to be close to the new multi-million dollar facility to be built at Ipswich.

SHARON GREY

After a few decades in the sport, Sharon Grey is one of the more experienced female trainers, but she openly admits that when she and her husband Tony put a lead on their first greyhound, they “really had no clue”.

In was back in the 1980s and longtime greyhound participant Manfred Warkotz, known for a plethora of dogs carrying the Canadian prefix, gifted Sharon and Tony a greyhound called Canadian Craft.

“We were living at Blue Haven on the Central Coast and Manfred was up there and he gave us a giveaway called Canadian Craft,” Sharon explained. “So we got this girl and we started walking the legs off her and trying to find out as much as we could, and we really had no clue.

“My grandfather actually had dogs. He trained dogs out at Fairfield when he came back from the from the war, so it was kind of in my blood I guess but I hadn’t got into at all at that stage.”

“Tony was friends with (another experienced participant) Chris Foley who was based at Terrigal, and Tony tried to get as much info out of him as he could. So we mucked around, and decided to give her her first start for us. Remembering Tony and I had never put a rug on a dog or anything, so we took her out to Mudgee, and … she won.

“And that, was the start of it all. From then on we got right into the sport. The kennels grew, we moved to Dubbo and we continued on. Tony started breaking in dogs and we had dogs coming in and out everywhere.

“Then we had a family, and Tony was training all the dogs, and then as our kids got older, and I took to the training ranks, and Tony went to work,” Sharon said with a laugh. “That's pretty much the story. All from that one giveaway.”

The Greys also had a stint at Appin before heading to the Mid North Coast and settling at Killabakh, about 25 kms north of Taree.

It was there that Sharon went from participant to administrator. She became involved with the local club, and would eventually work her way right up to the Vice Presidency.

“What inspired me 100% was the amount of people who wanted to come and race up here,” she explained. “I kind of made it a bit of a goal to get TAB racing at Taree, and eventually we did. Another goal was to get the grass (track) up.”

Taree received TAB status and held their first historic TAB meeting in June 2020.

“That first meeting was a proud moment for all of us up here, myself and the committee. It was the pinnacle.”

The Mid North Coast will soon have a brand new track to race at with the multi-million dollar, state of the art facility at Taree nearing completion.

“Every time I go to any track these days, as far down as Wentworth Park and Grafton, and even up at Albion Park, people just want to talk about how good the new track will be. It's going to be a track for everybody and it's really generated interest. We’ll get a lot of people come to race here I'm sure of it.”

It’s been a few years since Canadian Craft came into her life, and during that time Sharon has seen the growth of women in the greyhound racing industry and is right behind celebrating them all today on International Women’s Day.

“It’s great to see the amount of women involved and the amount of women who have success, from participants right through to those at a club level as well.

“It's funny, I only said to Leanne Grimwood recently at The Gardens, we were in a race where all but one of the dogs was being handled by a woman.”

Sharon has no hesitation naming Ada Mary as the best greyhound she has had in the kennel.

She won the Sydney Cup, a Summer Cup and the Newcastle Cup and was narrowly run down in the inaugural running of the Group 2 Topgun Stayers invitational event at The Meadows.

“If the race had been 720m instead of 725m, she would have won and we would have been $75,000 richer, but Sweet It Is just ran her down,” Sharon recalled.

“We were all there on the night and we still say now it was as good as winning. It was just such a big thrill to be in that race. I still get goosebumps talking about it.”

SHARRON WEBSTER

It all comes back to Betty. Little Betty. The runt of the litter. And while her nine brothers and sisters proved popular, not so much little Betty.

But back in 2000, Sharron and Ray Webster decided to take a punt on little Betty, and for the Websters, Betty is where it started, and her blood has run through every dog they have ever bred.

“We bought her from Bruce Fletcher. She was the last to be sold. He couldn't sell her and she was the runt of the litter. Anyway, we decided to purchase her,” Sharron recalled.

“She was doing very well before the trainer came to Ray and said: “I don't know what's wrong, she’s just gone off the boil. I know she has huge potential. But I just can't get it out of her”. So Ray decided to take her on, and after a visit to the vet we discovered she had a full season and that was why she wasn't performing.

“We named ‘Betty’ Magic Grove after our building company. She was absolutely brilliant. She won at Cessnock, a few times at Richmond, and then Ray said I'm going to go with the big guns. I'm going into Wentworth Park. She won two in a row over the 720m including one by 18 lengths.

“The beautiful thing about all this is that my father - Clyde Richardswas very excited about Ray training Magic Grove. He came along to every meeting. He was Betty’s handler and he just got so much pleasure out of handling her and travelled everywhere she went. We had so much fun. She was such a good bitch she was placed in group races (G1 Association Cup, G2 Wentworth Park Gold Cup, G2 Summer Cup).

“Then when she retired we bred with her and all our dogs go back to Betty, all the same line, and we have

had so many good dogs. I would say probably 30-40 really, really good dogs. We have been very, very fortunate,” said Sharron.

It’s true. Ladies Bracelet winner Lagoon Lowanna (out of Lagoon Smylee who was out of Gondola Serenade, who was the daughter of Token Prince and Magic Grove).

There’s Lagoon Jazzy, beaten “an eyelash” in the 2017 Golden Easter Egg. She’s a daughter Barcia Bale and Lagoon Lowanna, while Jazzy’s brother is Ritza Lenny, a Group winner who is now a successful sire himself.

And more recently the Websters have won multiple Group races with Father Rick. He is by Fernando Bale out of Lagoon Prissy who is a daughter of Cosmic Rumble and Lagoon Lowanna.

“They're all special, not just because of what they do on the track, because of their beautiful nature.”

That Sharron - who we celebrate today on International Women’s Day, along with every woman in the greyhound racing industry – has had a life in the sport is hardly surprising, she said.

“My grandfather had greyhounds and my father also. We had quite a large property, on three big blocks of land in Ingleburn,” she explained. “My grandfather, Syd Gallop, and my dad, raced at places like Harold Park and Moss Vale. That was basically a day out for us, the dogs at Moss Vale.

“Obviously, schooling took priority, and then my career - I was in property law. I married, had a child and then divorced after a couple of years, and then eight years later I met Ray.

“Ray also owned greyhounds. He didn't train them at the time, so yes I'd been in greyhounds growing up, and now I'd met a man in greyhounds again.

“I love the dogs. I've always loved the dogs. I used to follow them around when I was a child and put the collar and lead on, and walk them around and I used to hop on their backs and ride them like a horse. I'm not surprised that my life has ever really been rid of them.

“After I left full time employment, I was a locum for solicitors and conveyancers. That finished around 2015. For a while I did some work at home, and then I just thought I'm not going to do this anymore, I'll just help Ray with the dogs full time, and I love it.”

Often asked where the Lagoon prefix came from, Sharron says it’s simple. They live on Lagoon Flats Place, and began naming their dogs that way when they moved there so people would instantly identify the dog as a Webster dog.

While delighted there are so many women in the industry, Sharron knows the sport needs to continue to bring a new generation through.

“There’s a real mix of men and women in the sport now, and it’s great to see women like Jane Carruthers, Noeline Holloway, Lorraine Atchison, Jodie Lord, Minnie Finn, Kayla and Debbie Coleman, all very good female trainers and all doing so well.

“The industry does not discriminate. Anyone can have a go, and there's plenty of young women coming through, and that's what we need. We need the young people coming and enjoying the sport as much as we do.”

SONIA GREENE

An escapee, a friendship built on collie dogs, and $2.50 - those were the ingredients which led to a life time in greyhound racing for Sonia Greene.

Sonia and her husband Gary have spent more than half a century involved the industry, but the fastest dogs in the world were not always their preferred breed.

“A girlfriend of mine, many, many years ago, Cecily Porter, we used to breed and show collies. We did it for about 10 years,” Sonia explained. “A neighbour of hers was Bruce Stokes a greyhound trainer and he had a dog who escaped and came to her place.

“One thing led to another and we ended up paying $2.50 to transfer the dog, Highland Peak, into her name and we raced it at Muswellbrook. Well, I think it ran the slowest time ever run around Muswellbrook.

“Then we bred her to a dog called Eddy Barry, and then we got another bitch, Groovy Lady and we put her to Eddy Barry and we ended up with a dog out of each litter - Young Peak who won a couple of races, and a little bitch called Give Me Power and she won an Anniversary Cup at Beaumont Park.

“Ever since then Gary and I have bred our own and raced our dogs, and we’ve never been without a greyhound.”

Sonia Greene is one of thousands of women in the industry who we celebrate today on International Women’s Day.

Neither Sonia nor Gary, who will have been married 60 years this year, had a previous involvement in the sport at the time, but help and advice was never far away.

“Back then there were women involved in greyhound racing, but clearly not as many as there are today,” she said.

“There's been a lot of great people in the game who have crossed our path over the years. And you find that if you have any problems or any questions, people seem to gather around. It is that sort of industry.”

Home for the past 27 years for Gary and Sonia and their dogs is Kearsley, near Cessnock in the Hunter. Before that it was in Newcastle – at Mayfield for 16 years, then at Edgeworth for another 16.

“A chap Gary worked with brought in a local paper from up this way and we saw this house in it. We decided to go and take a look, and you had to come through bushland on this one track in and out. I said to Gary if there's a house at the end of this bush track, I'm having it. There was a little bit of a clearing and there was this house and I said this is it, and we’ve been here on five acres ever since.”

Just as when they showed collies, the couple used the name Songar (a mix of Sonia and Gary) as prefix or suffix with many of their greyhounds.

“We stopped using it when we came up here because the property is named Eddenville and we named our first couple of dogs Eddenville this and that. It didn’t bring us any luck so my daughter and her husband decided to go back to the Songar prefix.”

While they haven’t had “anything outstanding” the Greenes have had some good dogs along the way, and have “had a lot of fun with them”.

“Our Songar would have been a pretty smart one. She won about 15 out of 30-odd starts. She ran some fast times, and she looked like being anything, but she went to Gunnedah and broke her hock. We got her fixed up and she's still here now having just turned 10 years old.

“We have had a few who have won a few races. No Group dogs, but some nice ones and it’s been a great ride along the way.

“Who would have thought that a stray greyhound would walk into the life of a collie breeder, and change things forever?”