Caption: The massive clean-up continues at the Lismore club.

The recent images of a flood-devastated Lismore were heart-breaking. The town’s greyhound track was part of the widespread carnage and still remains closed. A sometimes tearful track manager, John Zorzo, gave Chase an insight into just how gut-wrenching recent events have been. These are his words:

“We are still continuing to clean up. GRNSW are sending up engineers this week to have a look at the track and go through a scope of work of where we are going to start and how we are going to rebuild.

The time-frame on when we might be racing again – very hard to say. Four to six weeks or even two months, maybe. We will have to put a new lure motor in, then there’s the track work.

I have not only lost my work place but also my house. Twenty years of my life is sitting out on my front yard at the moment.

The only thing that I keep saying is: ‘One day after another’. Every day will have its own challenges. We just battle through them and keep going.

I was born here, moved away for a few years then came back, so have basically been here almost all my life.

This is the worst flood that has ever been here. We thought 2017 was bad – this is much worse.

There was a recent announcement that the CSIRO is investigating the feasibility of more water catchments and maybe slow releases. But when you get 700-800mls of rain in the hills in less than 24 hours you are basically a sitting duck.

But we will not give up. It is not in the Aussie spirit to give up. We have taken a big blow, but one day at a time. The sun will go down, but it will come up.

Why I keep going … when my best mate takes me and my girls in. When you have people around you who put their lives on hold to help you out. That is what it is all about.

Lismore will race again.

I am just looking forward to the sound of the lure for that first race when we are back. When the boxes open and the people are here to cheer us back.”