The Shoalhaven Greyhound Racing Club is set to resume racing on its rebuilt track in mid-December with work progressing ahead of schedule.
“Work is really coming along well. We have finished the concrete base, and the new rail is being installed this week,” Shoalhaven Greyhound Club Secretary-Manager Glenn Midson said.
The major work, which commenced at the track on October 17, will see the installation of a new design post and rail system - consisting of curved tubular posts and a new mounting system for improved safety - the latest Safechase remote lure system, a new concrete base, new irrigation system and new sand.
The Nowra track base, underneath the surface of the track, has now been fully concreted. Previously, the track had a half-concrete base underneath the track, then half compaction through necessity due to clay. This had resulted in ongoing challenges for club staff, particularly when it rained.
“The irrigation system was 28 years old, and the rail has been there since 1975 ... 48 years ago, no wonder it got rusty,” said Midson.
“Last December we had troubles with the rail, we had a rail audit, and we were in danger of being forced to stop racing. We did 31 repairs to the rail in a week so we could race the following week, and we have been vigilant every week since to check everything, the welds, the nuts, the bolts, everything, to make sure it has been in good, safe condition to race.
“Having been able to do this work now puts a bit of surety into the track because we have had an aging system and infrastructure, and if something broke, we would have been down and out, and been down longer than we are now with this work because nobody would have been prepared,” he explained.
“It’s great that we have been able to get this chance to plan the works and now get them done, and when complete it will bring the track up to the best standard and improve safety for our greyhounds.”
Midson has been involved with the club from 40 years, and in his current role for the past 22 years and he admitted this upgrade to the track has been keenly anticipated by local participants.
“Everyone down this way loves racing at the track but they all realised that the track needed some work,” Midson said.
“We’ll also do some landscaping and splash some paint around the track to spruce up the place and we won’t know ourselves.”
Nowra is scheduled to return to racing on Boxing Day, December 26, but if works continue to progress well there is an opportunity to return earlier.
“At the moment we have Nowra set to return on December 26 but there is flexibility in that return date,” Wayne Billett, GRNSW Head of Racing Operations said.
“We will monitor the how the works are progressing and will look at the options should they be completed earlier.”
The Dapto club has been filling the void left by Nowra for participants on the South Coast on Monday evenings.
