Caption: Ipswich Greyhound Club\’s new patron Cr Paul Tully, proudly holds a photo of his talented sprinter Town Hall Flyer winning the 1985 Johnnie Walker Final (558m) at the Gabba in race record time of 32.80s. (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)
By MIKE HILL
IPSWICH club’s new patron Councillor Paul Tully is a real greyhound supporter at heart.
The man who has devoted 40 years to serving his community on the Ipswich Council says he has always had a soft spot for the greyhound industry.
So much so that he owned several dogs, including the talented sprinter Town Hall Flyer, in the \’80s.
\”I realised very early on as a councillor the strength and depth of the greyhound industry in the Ipswich region,\” Cr Tully said.
And when he received an invitation recently from the club board to become patron he was more than happy to accept.
\”I know club patrons can be just figurehead roles, but I will be happy to work with the club in any way I can,\” he said.
Cr Tully, who was Queensland\’s longest-serving councillor from 1979 to 2018, currently represents Division 2 on the council.
He is also Deputy Chair of the Growth, Infrastructure and Waste Committee and the Local Government Association of Queensland Policy Executive representative for South East District No. 2 Western Region, taking in the Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Lockyer Valley and Somerset council regions.
Cr Tully replaces the late Sir Llew Edwards, who had been the Ipswich club\’s first patron after its official opening in 1982.
\”I think Sir Llew helped the club kick off in the early \’80s,\” he said.
Cr Tully said he hoped he could help in any way he could, particularly as the club prepares to relocate to the new Greater Brisbane Greyhound Club racing complex at Purga, near Ipswich, in the next few years.
He said he had been spoilt by the success of his first greyhound, Town Hall Flyer.
\”He was bred by Teddy Meehan and was trained by Keiron Butler at Goodna,\” Cr Tully said.
\”Town Hall Flyer won the last ever Johnnie Walker Final (558m) at the Gabba in race record time of 32.80s in May, 1985.
\”That was 36 years ago.
\”He was winning races everywhere.
\”He spoilt me. I thought this is easy … buy a dog and win races.
\”I had a couple of others, but they didn\’t do much good.\”
Cr Tully remembers he put forward a policy in the \’80s that all greyhounds in the Ipswich region registered with the Queensland racing authority received free registration with council.
\”I felt it was unfair for a greyhound owner-trainer to have to pay twice to register a dog,\” he said.
\”I suppose I\’ve always had the greyhound industry at heart.\”
