Caption: Townsville Greyhound Club president Gary Heath awards long-serving, popular local trainer Rhonda Essery with club life membership this week. (Photo: Lee Pearce)
By Pat McLeod
Rhonda Essery has added another highlight to an already glittering greyhound career, being awarded a life membership of the Townsville Greyhound Racing Club.
That honour was bestowed on Tuesday night, moments after the presentation for the Townsville Young Guns, which was taken out by $2.70 favourite Oorah (Steven Scott).
“The life membership came as a complete surprise,” said Essery, who has been a dominant figure in the sport in the north for more than 30 years.
“I was shocked. They (the committee) were very good at keeping it a secret.
“I was called up just after the Young Guns. It was special, a great thrill.
“I have always tried to help out at the club to ensure that it is a success and keeps going.
“But the bottom line is that I live and breathe greyhounds and so to be recognized in this way is a real highlight.”
Essery said she became involved in greyhounds more than 35 years ago when she decided to go to a local greyhound meeting on a night off.
“My then-husband and I had a motel in Mackay and on that first night I fell in love with greyhounds. I caught the bug,” the 65-year-old said.
Essery moved north, was involved in another motel and cane farming before moving to her current training base at Burdell, about 12km north of Townsville in 2001.
From there she has been a major force in Townsville greyhound racing.
“I have had some good dogs across the years, such as a dog called Townsville, Stratford, Samshu, Miss Priddle and Naturally Gifted.
“My husband (Stephen Essery) has been the backbone of what we do and our success.
“I think at one stage in the past 15 years I won six or seven trainer’s premierships in a row.
“The most recent premiership I won was three years ago.”
Essery, who is also a life member of the local owners and trainers association, has had a busy kennel of up to 40 race dogs for the majority of her training career.
She currently has 37 dogs in work.
She will have 11 starters in Friday’s meeting Townsville.
“There are some handy youngsters among those starters on Friday,” Essery says.
“One of the better ones is Dinosaur Bones (Race 1, box 8). He is probably the pick of the (My Redeemer x Naturally Gifted) litter to date.
“Also racing from that litter on Friday is Natural Tony, Pink Car and White Cockatoo.
“Another of my starters on Friday that I rate is Black Rifle (Race 4, box 7).”
This week’s life membership announcement is not a signal that Essery will start reducing her greyhound commitments, or hang up the collar and lead.
“No, that won’t be happening any time soon,” she says.
“I love this too much. It is in my blood.”
Townsville, on Friday, will be flying the flag for Queensland as far as greyhound racing goes with tracks in the south-east closed because of Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
