Sport
2 May, 2024
Club unveils $2.2 million upgrade
TERANG Harness Racing Club officially unveiled its more than $2.2 million stables and community hub upgrades after persisting through years of complications.
The club unveiled the upgrades on Monday night, which includes the indoor stabling area spanning a vast 118 metres in length and 20 metres in width.
Guests in attendance included Corangamite Shire councillors, Harness Racing Victoria chair Adam Kilgour, Member for Wannon Dan Tehan and Terang Harness Owners, Trainers and Supporters Group president Harry Craven.
The unveiling was a point of pride for Terang Harness Racing Club president Evan Savage, who said years of hard work had culminated in Terang now enjoying among the best facilities in harness racing.
“To everyone who donated money, we thank you very much,” he said.
“This is going to be a great thing for the community.”
Savage said the design of the stables was inspired by the state-of-the-art stabling at Menangle in New South Wales, which is considered the premier harness racing destination in Australia.
“It’s very unique and it’s going to see the Terang Harness Racing Club through for a very long time,” he said.
The upgrades were completed following significant investment including a $750,000 commitment from the Victorian Government, $250,000 from the Commonwealth Government, $50,000 from Corangamite Shire, $335,000 from Harness Racing Victoria, a $470,000 investment from Terang Harness Racing Club and $370,000 from the Terang Harness Owners, Trainers and Supporters group.
Savage paid special tribute to the owners, trainers and supporters’ group for its tireless efforts to raise funds for the cause.
“To group president Harry Craven, his family and everyone who has gotten behind this project and raised money, it’s just an incredible amount of money to come from our community,” he said.
“It’s an absolutely great effort.”
Craven said seeing the upgrades come to fruition was a point of pride for the group, as it had been a driving motivator in the group’s formation.
“Marg Lee was a real driving force behind it, the one who came home from the trials one day and mentioned someone had said we should get the owners and trainers going,” he said.
“We said you have to have a purpose, and she said the stables would be good to update because she was sick of being up there on cold and wet nights.
“Since then we have run goods and services auctions, with our best being just over $62,000 raised, in addition to cattle clubs where people donated cattle to sell and raffles.
“Marg would have got 98 percent of the signage packages, which actually helped us get the project completed amid the increasing costs, and we’ve also had working bees to pull down the old stables with probably 50-60 people turning up.”
Craven said an “enormous” amount of positive feedback from track attendees had been reward enough for the group members.
“We’re extremely proud,” he said.
“I even had one bloke who bought raffle tickets in Warrnambool come up to me on Cup night to say thank you, he said, ‘Wow, I can see where my money went’.
“There have been so many moments like that with people who helped support it, who are thrilled with what the end result is.
“The thing is this has guaranteed Terang can help to lead harness racing in to the future.”
Harness Racing Victoria chair Adam Kilgour said he had watched on in awe of the Terang Harness Racing Club’s determination, advocacy and resolve to bring the project to fruition.
“It’s a real credit to the persistence of the club and all involved,” he said.
“It’s important to us because it’s a good horse population around here, and people in this area love their racing.
“These facilities are obviously great for our horses and their welfare, but the wider community too.”
Tehan said all involved should be proud of their persistence.
“The only reason the commonwealth government put in $250,000 was because of your advocacy, your work and your determination, and your knowledge of your local community and what it needs,” he said.
“It’s wonderful now that we have what is one of the best places to house the horses anywhere in Australia.
“This is a place everyone in this community can have huge pride in and take people to go and see if we’re going to make sure the industry continues to thrive and prosper.
“It creates jobs and it also brings the community together, so we’ve got to keep investing in it.”
Corangamite Shire mayor Kate Makin said the finished result was “impressive”.
“I just want to congratulate the Terang Harness Racing Club, all the members and the committee, for all the hard work they have put in to getting these lovely, state of the art facilities up,” she said.
“I’m sure you’re all enjoying not getting wet anymore and getting out of that rain.
“Council is really proud to support projects which benefit the community
“This is one which will really benefit the wider community, not just Terang but everyone who comes here and enjoys the facilities.”
