There’s plenty of interest from locals to see the ‘Sport of Kings’ (horse-racing) continue in Cobar with 16 people turning out for the Cobar Miners Race Club annual general meeting on Sunday morning.
Jarrod Marsden was returned as club president for his third term and Vince Sikora was re-elected for his 30th year as vice president.
Kym Miller was also returned as treasurer.
The club welcomed Natalie Prisk to fill the secretary’s position vacated by Janine Lea-Barrett. Ms Lea-Barrett was the club’s secretary for the past two years and did not seek re-election due to other commitments.
She has however offered her assistance to the new secretary and to the general committee for the coming racing season.
In his president’s report to the meeting, Mr Marsden praised the executive and hard working committee for their efforts over the year.
“For a relatively small group we certainly achieved a lot,” Mr Marsden said.
He also acknowledged the assistance of Murdi Paaki who had helped to maintain the Dalton Park Horse Sports Complex facility as well as the club’s sponsors and supporters.
“2017 has been a successful but challenging year for the club,” Mr Marsden said.
“The ever-increasing race day expenses are proving to be a huge roadblock to us being able to build our finances to the point where we can start some meaningful upgrade works.”
Mr Marsden said over the past season the club had however carried out work to extend the outside running rail on the track, which had been a suggested improvement by one of the racing stewards.
“The May meeting was successful in almost every way, however our toilet block caused more heartache to racegoers and the committee,” he reported.
Mr Marsden said they did make repairs prior to their second race meeting in August however the toilets could not once again handle the race crowd.
Lengthy discussion was had at Sunday’s meeting as to what could be done about the toilets prior to the 2018 racing season.
While a new toilet block is on the club’s ‘wish list’ and plans have been drawn up for new toilets, it’s not expected to be installed before next season.
The committee has decided that extra portable toilets will be required for the 2018 events.
The meeting also discussed petitioning Cobar Shire Council to connect the complex to the raw water network which would save the club a lot of money in lawn and garden watering.
Mr Marsden told the meeting Racing NSW had been accommodating in moving next year’s May race meeting back a week so as not to clash with the Cobar Show.
A number of ideas were put forward for the May 2018 race meeting and included running a Calcutta; holding a president’s cocktail party; purchasing new tents/marquees; and ways to attract more sponsors.
