This Meeting was our 18th this Rotary year and our 5,009th meeting in the Club’s 102nd year.
This meeting celebrated horse racing and the Spring racing carnival which is well and truly underway.
This week’s MC was Carol Bond, and the reflection was delivered by Peter Hollingworth, whose thoughtful insights on conflict and peace resolution are shared later in this bulletin. President Chris Sotiropoulos proposed the loyal toast.
After welcoming guests and visiting Rotarians, President Chris led the brief celebration of Cheryl Lacey’s birthday on this meeting day. He then drew attention of members to the last leg of this year’s fundraising for the Smith Family’s Learning for Life program: our traditional silent Auction that will begin with nearly 20 valuable items to the highest bidder. Finally Chris reminded us that our monthly evening meeting will be held at the Porsche Centre Brighton where three expert speakers will talk us through the myths and realities of electric vehicles and encouraged us to book and attend for a fun evening.
Chris also reminded us of next week’s meeting which will feature Former Rotary Foundation Scholar and Refugee Education Specialist Lucienne Heyworth as guest speaker discussing ‘Education in Conflict'.
Peter Hanlon then came to the podium to introduce our guest speaker, Bernard Saundry, CEO of RSN Racing & Sport, whose topic was 'The Changing Landscape of Thoroughbred Horse Racing'. Bernard’s comprehensive presentation highlighted trends in major elements of the Racing Industry including wagering and its marketing, growth in the industry, competition around rules and regulation, shifting customer demographics and customer preferences, the role of media and clubs and the relatively strong horse racing industries in Australia and New Zealand.
In particular he highlighted the economic impact of the spring carnival which makes Melbourne the racing hub of Australia.
His presentation would not have been complete without some inside tips. He was close, with Apulia coming second in a photo finish. For Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup, keep an eye on Gold Trip and Break Up, and for Oaks Day he suggested Tropical Squall was a good chance. Tips for the Spring carnival’s final day next Saturday 11 November, he highlighted Mr Brightside for the Champions Mile, Imperatriz for the Champions Sprint, and Prowess for the Champions Stakes.
There was time for questions which included a frank conversation about the harm advertising is doing in normalising active gambling.
Another fun Spring carnival celebration which you may like to view on-line. To view the speaker series video confined to just Bernard’s address Click here and to view the full meeting recording click here.
