IT’S been many years since greyhounds chased a lure in Hamilton.

 While greyhound racing remains popular around the state, despite the knockers, the sport peaked here only briefly in the 1980s.

At the start of that decade the Hamilton Greyhound Racing Club had 60-70 members training 80-100 registered dogs.

Club members were frustrated that there wasn’t a facility in town to train and trial their dogs and they had to travel to Horsham, Warrnambool or Mount Gambier to race.

Speaking for his members in the late 70s, president Ray Keating accused council of declining to help build this potential new industry in the city.   

City council back then seemed to be lukewarm about attracting low-value secondary industries, rather than those allied to the rural sector.

Maybe, greyhound racing was similarly seen by our betters along working-class lines as well.

Council was determined that no one within the city boundary housed more than two dogs.

Greyhound fees were also set at a level that made life difficult for their owners and trainers.    

After much prodding council agreed to check for sports grants.

Estimates at the time suggested it would cost about $300,000 to establish a track good enough for a racing licence to be considered by the state government.

The club then had about $10,000 in kitty.   

Behind the scenes council clearly thought Hamilton getting a greyhound racing licence was a pipedream but subsequently offered to help set up a low-cost training and trialling facility. But where?

The dog club had twice asked the trotting club to share, without success.

Council then shortlisted five sites: Kennedy Oval, Police Paddock, Racecourse, Trotting track and Showgrounds.

The last won the day.

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 IN an interview with The Spec in 2010 former Hamilton resident, John Gale, who was secretary of the club in the early 80s, remembers that time fondly.

 “We decided to start the club and find a local track after it became very hard to trial dogs in Warrnambool,” he said.

 “Sometimes you would have to wait a long time to give your dog a run.

 “It was hard for the trainers here to go and wait all day to trial.”

 Local trainers eventually joined together, prodded council and installed a round course at the Hamilton Showgrounds - for trialling purposes as a starter.

 “We managed to pick up some of the equipment needed from Olympic Park,” he told us.

 “Because we were just starting they sold it to us pretty cheaply. We installed it.

 “We had a full 300m track with a lure ready to go.”

 “Trials were run on a Thursday night and a Sunday.

 “We had fields of about five dogs or so.

 “It gave the trainers somewhere to give their dogs a run and get them ready for the races.

 “Sometimes only a few people would be there and other times it would be really busy.”

 Mr Gale said the track was popular with travellers going through Hamilton.

 “We were always open for people who were passing through.

 “People would be on their way to Warrnambool or Mount Gambier and they would stop and use the track.”

   “We didn’t hold any formal races, although we had the odd picnic meeting at the track,” John said.

 “We would race whippets and afghans instead of the greyhounds. There would be a good crowd that would come down to watch,” he remembered.

Greyhound racing here seemed to lose some of its lustre about the same time government mandated that the dogs had to be muzzled.  

In the 1990s Hamilton’s greyhound track infrastructure at the showgrounds was relocated to a private property in Portland.  

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 Live hare coursing was also very popular back in the 70s, with Penshurst holding regular coursing meetings. Ditto in South Australia.

According to John “The Penshurst Cup would draw a good crowd.”

 “The hare would be released and then the greyhounds would chase it.

 “It was not the dog to get to the end first that won, it would be the dog that chased the hare the best.

 “A judge on a horse would decide who won.”

“I would regularly run my dogs in coursing races, especially in South Australia.

 “They were the last state to ban using hares as a.lure.

“Years later the Penshurst dishlickers chased a mechanical lure over a straight 400 metres.   

FOOTNOTE: Before using hares was banned the rules included that the first dog to turn its quarry scored points as did the one which made the kill.

Years on, operating as the Penshurst Drag Lure Coursing Club in the mid 80s, prize money for the day was $3000 plus another $500 in trophies.    

Around that time local names like Ewing, Ross, Eales and Hards figured prominently.

Even Hamilton VC winner Ted Kenna took part.

John Donnelly also had a few quality dogs and bitches.

Probably the most high profile and successful greyhound courser in the area was Portland’s Robert Halliday.   

Seems this Penshurst club just withered away rather than winding up formally.

A few years ago ASIC was dealing with $1544 remaining unclaimed.  

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The Hamilton Greyhound club’s disappointing experience dealing with the city council was summarised in the poem that follows.

Our point of view

Hamilton and District Greyhound Racing Club

secretary,John Gale.

So many restrictions the council impose,

To get the greyhound owners out, I suppose,

I’ve had the council down to see me,

My crime? I had that improper three!

We need more than two, as it takes so long

For them to start racing, what will follow on?

So we need racers and youngsters, too,

Why can’t the council see our view?

Look at the public, how they’re misled

By biased opinions in newspapers read.

Of course some owners do the wrong thing,

That happens in all sport, from what I’ve seen.

Vicious? Yes, they’ve been known to kill,

They’ll lick you to death, they certainly will!

The council’s rule makes it so hard,

But you never see our dogs out of the yard!

Nor do they attack whoever they meet,

Greyhounds don’t run loose on the street!

They don’t jump your yard, tip over your bin,

They’re well fed you see and are meant to look thin!

Why should they wear muzzles when they don’t bite?

It’s street roaming mongrels who look for a fight?

Who spreads disease and worms around?

One thing’s for sure, it’s not the greyhound!

A better looked after breed’s hard to get,

When they need attention, they go to the vet!

They’re so persecuted, I’ve got to defend,

That wonderful animal, the greyhound, my friend.

The council should stop the dog roamers,

Instead of hounding the greyhound owners,

So come on owners, fight for our hobby,

Don’t just sit and say “Yes, that’s true”.

Help educate “them” to our point of view!