By Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club CEO LUKE GATEHOUSE

Don’t expect the ‘waterworks’ to cease at ‘The Creek’ for some time.

As the Chase Newspaper goes to print at the end of April we are still in ‘repair mode’ at Albion Park, trying our best to get back on track after the late February flood.

As has been well documented, the flood was bad enough, but the breakdown in the supply chain for all products has been extremely frustrating, delaying our re-start, and my best prediction is that we will back racing some time in the week starting May 2.

The enormity of the damage the flood caused cannot be understated. If we do get back racing when anticipated, we will have been in shut-down for nine weeks. That has never happened (as far as my research can tally) in the 30 years the track has been based out of Albion Park.

In that time we have faced all sorts of perils, but, in my experience, this has been the worst.

And, as always, especially in greyhound racing, out of adversity rises inspiration. I have certainly been inspired by several groups of people over recent weeks.

The staff and volunteers at the Brisbane club have been amazing. The workload they have endured; the patience and resilience shown, has been incredible.

Our ‘partners’ at the Ipswich club have been equally amazing. With Albion Park and Capalaba out of action they stepped up to seven-days-a-week racing to fill the void. Well done, and thanks Ipswich.

Racing Qld and QRIC have also been a great support.

There are few times that I can recall all of the industry working so well together.

The intro of this column suggested more ‘waterworks’. So, although more water is the last thing we need, I am predicting few dry eyes when the club celebrates its 50^th anniversary on Thursday, June 2.

Originally this happy occasion was to have happened on Easter Thursday (April 14), but the deluge and subsequent damage put paid to that.

There will be a lot to celebrate that night and I hope there will be plenty of people at the track to take part. There has certainly been a lot of water go under the bridge since that first race meeting, under lights, at the Gabba in 1972.

I am a big believer in focusing on the future, but it is also important to acknowledge and learn from the past.

Greyhound racing is currently experiencing arguably its most successful era. A lot of great work has been done in very recent times, and is being done right now.

But we are where we are because of our past. Two of this industry’s most valuable attributes, passion and resilience, aren’t created overnight. They are shaped across decades of trial, error, hard work and success.

On June 2 we will look back and toast what has brought us to where we are now – the champion greyhounds, people and events.

We will also look to a very bright future. I hope you will join us.