Caption: John Dart, pictured, and wife Glenda,  has found paradise with their home and kennel set-up.

By DAVID BRASCH

Each month Chase puts the spotlight on a person and/or their ‘best friend’ – a story that gives an insight into the true heart of greyhound racing. It showcases all that is good in this sport and is a monthly tribute to much-loved greyhound identity Daryl ‘Albert’ Gleeson.

IT rained like hell on the Northern Rivers of NSW just recently, but for the first time in decades Glenda and John Dart took little notice.

That’s because Glenda and John are now safely ensconced at Hatton Vale. They have become Queenslanders, and they are loving it.

The Darts have lived on a houseblock at Dulguigan down Murwillumbah way for 30 years. In that time their property battled floods 10 times.

“The 2022 flood was the biggest, and the one in 2017 wasn’t much behind it,” said John.

The shift to Hatton Vale “on top of a hill” is a 1.5 acre property with a large kennel area, and a 100-acre farm that cannot be built on right next door.

It is their dream home.

John and Glenda know what it is like to battle floods.

“We lost nine dogs in the 2017 flood,” he said.

“We used to put 10 dogs on the verandah of our house and the rest would go into a shed across the road that was one metre above the level of the great flood of 1974.

“But in 2017 the water came 1.8 metres into the shed, which means the level was three metres higher than in 1974.

“One night, we had 14 inches of rain from 10pm to 2am. How can you prepare for something like that?”

Twenty years ago, the Darts leased land that allowed them to install a straight track.

“I used to drive 12 kilometres up the road to work the dogs when we first moved there,” said John. “At one stage we had 32 dogs on the houseblock.”

But, despite all that, the Dart kennel produced such greats as Queensland greyhounds of the year Miss Grub and Dzeko. The kennel was never without city winners and Group performers.

After the nightmares of 2017 and 2022, John and Glenda had to do something.

“A year ago, we approached the NSW state government to reclaim our house,” said John. “They knocked us back, but we won on appeal.”

In the meantime, he and Glenda found their new home at Hatton Vale and fortunately for them, the homeowner extended the contract to wait for the State Government to buy Dulguigan.

“Of course we did the due diligence on the property, but it is on the top of a hill and flooding is the least of our problems now,” said John.

They moved into the new property late in August and immediately the Darts noticed the huge difference.

“My petrol bill has gone down from $300 a week to $100, my time in the car from 20 hours a week to six or eight, and insurance on our new home is $2000 a year, as opposed to $12,000 a year at Dulguigan,” he said.

“And Glenda loves it here.

“We cannot get over how quiet it is and we are just getting used to where everything is.

“The dogs are going great and I’ve even had a bit of a win on the punt at good odds with some of them.

“In fact, with seven dogs in the kennel, we have earned as much prizemoney as we did with 20 in the kennel the year before.

“We’ve got some really well-bred pups coming to the kennels in the future, and all our great owners have stuck with us.”

John and Glenda have targets as usual.

Born in Grafton, he left there in November 1982 as a 28-year-old with a couple of giveaways.

“The move to Dulguigan was good because we’ve had about 2000 winners since moving from Grafton, two greyhounds of the year, a dozen Group winners and great dogs like Typhoon Sammy, a multiple track record breaker,” said John.

“The target now, of course, is to chase more Group 1 winners.”

He is the first to admit the much-anticipated opening of The Q in 2025 is also a reason for their move to Hatton Vale.

“We are using Chubb Street and Capalaba for straight work, and Golden View for trialling,” he said.

“The only trouble we have found is getting trials on Albion Park and Ipswich. But with The Q opening up next year, that will all be solved.”

John Dart loves answering his mobile phone with “Workaholic Kennels”.

It is an answer he never tires of using, despite those who ring him believing otherwise.

“Workaholic Kennels” has shifted base and now with a much smaller racing team, John’s phone fun has been toned down.

The Darts have already jumped on the Maroon State of Origin bandwagon. “Always have been a Maroons supporter,” he sais.

Some have been quick to remind him it is State of Origin, NOT State of Adoption.

While Hatton Vale is new to John and Glenda, they are not new to the faces they meet.

“The first time I turned up at Chubb Street straight track to gallop dogs, everyone there said ‘what are you doing here’,” he said.

Chasing more Group 1s, of course.