The only reason we are staying at Wenty is because GRNSW is running out of money and can't afford to go anywhere else

They are trying out the patched-up Richmond track where the 500m start has been decimated to become a 4 legged pinball machine , not to mention the quality of the surface and the injuries coming off that track

I know of quite a few trainers who refuse to race or trial there, but there are something like 200 meetings there a year out of 1200

95% of races held there are 400m or less

Its a fail in my book

What of the $30m provided for new tracks from the overturn of the ban.

What new tracks except for Grafton have been built?

They are using it to patch up other tracks to cover the nothing that is happening at Goulburn and Orange, supposed Centres of Excellence

What are they doing to put in a new 2 turn track to replace Lismore in the Northern Rivers?

Why has Wauchope been abandoned as a venue in the Mid-North Coast?

And then there is the elephant in the room, REHOMING, its a fail as well.

It is leading to the collapse of the breeding industry in this State.

The most positive things they have done is regenerate the trialing facilities at Thirlmere and Cessnock to assist participants which wouldn't happen without the assistance of dedicated participants.

The Annual Report will more than likely show that the $15m saved from not supporting GWIC anymore will have been used up in increased operating expenses

This is not counting what is rumored to be huge losses from the sale of the Bylong Park development

I hope this new Board has got some cahoonies to make some hard decisions and serious management changes because this one isn't working

Read Annette Sharpes article in the Daily Telegraph today.

Its the tip of the iceberg

I said all this about the new Richmond rebuild for weeks on end a year ago ? from rediculous box placements half way down the home straight with no shelter ? To change of sand used that was $80 a tonne down graded to crap they got a deal on for $10 that ripped every dogs pads and stoppers off !

Even gave an instance where I took 4 dogs for trials and lost 3 and within an hour of that occurring they canceled all trials on fb and said trial at own risk !

No one wanted to comment or give a shit back then , so who gives a shit now ?

They murdered a classic all time great track and everyone stood by and did Fuk all ! All set up by the Poeple who know their stuff ??

They are rebuilding Lithgow , something I also said for 3 years on deaf ears ! when I lived there .
Lets see the new shit design on this track and cheap arse materials used ! It would be too hard to look at Gosford and go yeh , they have minimal first corner carnage and zero superficial wounds !

This is what happens when you kick and scream for years and get zero acknowledgment or even better get told to stop complaining !

Now lets hit the panick button hey ! Lol

Imbeciles everywhere and no leader with any connected experienced knowledge !

Giddy up pen pushers , you all rule ! Well done , couldnt have gone any worse for results in the past 2-4 years .

Looking forward and into the not-too-distant future, if I'm reading the room correctly and of course only my opinion, I feel that Richmond will become our premier track when our lease expires at WP, with one City Meeting per week along with Provincial Meetings, and the Centre of Excellence when it's built at Orange will be operated by the GBOTA with a City Meeting and perhaps Provincial Meetings per week. End Quote

Now compare Richmond to WP then both to Randwick / Rosehill. If GBOTA is the first contact by GRNSW in terms of industry issues or concerns, then what have they done to either support WP or transition away from it? Non members dont know but a representative should be telling us anyway as it affects us all. GRNSW shouldnt be hiding decisions either.

What happened to the Bylong / Denman GAP development?

Did you receive a reply? If you did, you are one of the lucky ones.

I got there before the meeting before the first race

1. The back gate was open to get into the kennels , no one in attendance to scan who was coming in or out

3. Then just on from the gate, there is the back entrance to the kennel block - door wide open and no one in attendance at that door to vet who was coming in or out of the kennel

Interstate visitors were very surprised that anyone could enter the track and have walked into the kennel block and not be questioned, which they are adamant would not happen at the lowest meeting in Victoria or Qld, let alone Million Dollar Chase qualifiers night at Wenty

Is this acceptable or not?

Where is the security or level of organization & quality assurance to protect our participants and greyhounds?

Any one of these greenie, lunatic, activists could have walked into that kennel block and either set fire to it, give something to one of the dogs or do some other hideous thing that they are known for to discredit our sport

There is just not enough care taken with our sport to nurture and protect it by the people in charge

To create a new city facility for greyhound racing is in the hands of the GBOTA.The state government through GRNSW have a severe liquidity problem and greyhound racing is not a priority. They recently withdrew funding for the Sydney speedway and are tightening the purse strings in other areas also.

Wentworth Park represents a HUGE asset to the government and, as much as stakeholders would appreciate a lease renewal, its not going to happen.

The GBOTA on the other hand are asset rich and could, with clever finance negotiations, purchase suitable land and construct a greyhound centre of excellence facility in the greater Sydney area.
I am sure if this were to happen the state government would appreciate being releived of the pressure and I am sure some favours to the greyhounds would be forthcoming.

However, perhaps there is one thing we can do to stay on. It's a bargaining chip we have based on the fact that our landlord is asset rich but cash poor.

Before the Wentworth Sporting Complex Land Manager (otherwise known as the Trust) kicks us out when the lease is up, it is imperative that GRNSW stridently seeks repayment of the nearly $6.5 million dollars it loaned to the Trust in 1998 - but which the Trust refuses to repay. One reason for this, I would suggest, is that the Trust doesn't have the money to make the repayment.

A review of the Trust's latest annual report shows that it has total assets of $67,689,000, but this is made up of nearly $64,000,000 in plant, property and equipment (i.e. land/buildings/grandstand etc) and only $3,740,000 in cash or investments. Significantly, the annual report also refers to the loan from GRNSW as a liability.

The Trust makes mention of the GRNSW loan in its annual report in the following manner on page 32;

"As at 30 June 2022 a balance $6,478,000 remained outstanding. As a result of the privatisation of the TAB, certain assets, agreements and rights of the former Racecourse Development Fund were transferred to the Greyhound Racing Authority as the body administering the Industry development Fund. That transfer was made in accordance with the direction published in the Government Gazette with effect 1 July 1998. Due to an administrative restructure, responsibility of the loan is now held with GRNSW. In January 2007 GRNSW requested repayment of the loan. The Land Manager requested that GRNSW convert the status of the loan to a grant.

In July 2015 the Land Manager received Notice from GRNSW in respect of the claim. Based on legal advice the Land Manager has declined in writing any liability in respect of the claim. No response has been received from GRNSW."

EXTERNAL LINK

Significantly, a review of the latest GRNSW annual report lists the loan to the Trust as a financial asset, and makes the following comment;

" Loan receivable

Included within financial assets is a receivable of $6,497,681 due from Wentworth Park Sporting Complex Land Manager (WPSCLM) (formerly Wentworth Park Trust). In assessing the accounting treatment of the receivable GRNSW has sought the assistance of its legal consultant to gather evidence to support its view that the loan is a debt instrument within the relevant laws and regulation that affect GRNSW and the WPSCLM. Based on the fact that the loan is recorded in various government documents, including the NSW Gazette No. 100 26 June 1998, as being a repayable loan, those charged with governance have exercised their judgement and determined for financial reporting purposes that the loan is contractual in nature, and it has been treated as a financial asset in accordance with AASB 9 at amortised cost. Whilst GRNSW has determined, at this stage, not to call on the loan until cessation of racing at Wentworth Park, it reserves its right to do so.

GRNSW has also assessed the expected credit loss (ECL) of the receivable, and based on the credit worthiness of the counterparty considers the ECL to be nil."

From my reading of the above, it would appear that;

a) the Trust recognises that it has loan repayable to GRNSW, but doesn't have the money to do so, and has therefore asked GRNSW to now consider it a "grant", and

b) GRNSW still considers the money to be a "repayable loan" that it can call in at any time but recognises the Trust doesn't have the money to do so.

Surely there can be a compromise, and a win/win for both sides.

I suggest that the compromise be that GRNSW doesn't call in the loan on the proviso that our lease on Wentworth Park be extended indefinitely, or at least until a date well into the future.

If nothing else, I think it's something worth considering. There's no point slinking out of Wentworth Park in a couple of years with our tail between our legs when we actually have the landlord by the balls.

Regardless of any negotiations, the loan needs to be repaid. With it outstanding for decades, when were GRNSW going to bother calling it in??? Two government appointed bodies, putting something officially in writing and never acting upon it???