THE SUNSHINE COAST NEWSPAPER COLUMN - A PLEASING OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE PRAISE WHERE PRAISE IS DUE

By Graham Potter | Sunday, August 30, 2015

Graham Potter writes a weekly column for the Sunshine Coast daily. Due to demand from those having trouble accessing the paper these columns are now also published on HRO courtesy of the Sunshine Coast daily.

Throughout the last twelve months this column has regularly praised the work of Sunshine Coast Turf Club Racecourse Manger Murray Weeding and his track staff for the sterling job they have done in consistently producing a track surface that has come to be accepted as the best in South East Queensland.

Quite fittingly, that effort has now been formally recognised with Murray Weeding taking out the Turfcraft International sponsored Australian Racecourse Manager of the Year award at the recent Australian Racecourse Managers Association Conference held at Randwick in Sydney.

The racecourse manager’s job, which has never been easy, has become increasingly difficult over time as the combination of shifting weather systems, often contrary to the norm, and the substantial workload that tracks are asked to deal has taken its toll and put pressure on those charged with producing a fair racing surface on race-day.

The condition of most tracks, the serious wear and tear situation not just in Queensland but throughout the country, is a major point of concern. As that concern has become more pronounced over the last twelve months so too has the general criticism of track management become more prevalent meaning that, for the most part, the job really has become a test of not only the expertise but also the character of all racecourse managers.

A racecourse manager has to always be on his game in terms of dealing with the basics of looking after their track. Any simple slip up on a seemingly minor detail can spell disaster. He has to be flexible when dealing with factors out of his control, such as intense weather events ... be it sunshine searing the track or rainfall flooding the water table.

He has to have an element of foresight in terms of planning ahead. He ideally has to have a calm demeanour to help deflate potential confrontations on the matter with sometimes disgruntled stakeholders. He has to be capable to deal with club management while managing a staff complement of his own ... and last, but not least, he has to have broad enough shoulders to absorb the criticism from those who in trying times look for what they perceive to be an easy target.

Given this background, taking out the Australian Racecourse Manager of the Year award serves as a well-deserved personal honour for Weeding and it also rates as a major achievement for the Sunshine Coast Turf Club in general, who can be well satisfied with the recognition their club and racetrack has received nationally via Weeding’s success story.

Being something of a quiet achiever, Weeding is not one who likes taking centre stage ... and really, that is probably what you would expect from a true, humble winner. There is simply too much work to do out there to be taking any time off to dance in the spotlight.

While he should never be asked to forsake his home track, maybe, just maybe, it might be worth Racing Queensland’s while to consider a wider consulting role for Weeding where his all-around undoubted expertise might be put to greater use.

For the moment though, let’s just say ... congratulations to all concerned.

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