Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club

Tara Raceway, Lake Terrace East, Mount Gambier, SA

Major Sponsors

Cadillac Racing Sponsors of Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing

Greyhound club has come a long way in 50 years

It’s fair to say that greyhound racing in the South East has come a long way since that public meeting was held 50 years ago in the Mount Gambier City Hall and the inaugural South East Greyhound Racing Club committee was formed.

The SEGRC was one of seven initial clubs to be granted a licence to race by the controlling body of the day – the SA National Coursing Association. Other clubs were Port Lincoln, Whyalla, Port Pirie, Gawler, Angle Park and Strathalbyn.

At the time the NCA believed that would be more than enough tracks to cater for greyhound racing in SA. However, the NCA was soon replaced as the controlling body. Later, further licences were issued to Port Augusta and Barmera and to Kulpara to conduct straight track racing.

Those tracks have now closed as have Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Port Pirie. And there was a time that some in the corridors of power would have been happy to see Mount Gambier also close. Strathalbyn has also closed but was replaced by a purpose-built track at Murray Bridge.

It took seven years from when the SEGRC inaugural committee was formed to greyhound racing actually commencing on a track inside the Glenburnie racecourse. Initially there were six bookmakers fielding. Calling all the action was George Kay on the local radio station .

By 2012 the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club, as it had become known, had well and truly settled in at its purpose-built track on Lake Terrace East. That was also the year that the MGGRC really came of age.

Greyhound Racing SA powerbrokers had made a trip down from Adelaide to speak with participants and inform them that the Mount Gambier club would soon be conducting TAB meetings at Tara Raceway.

Before long, Mount Gambier greyhound racing was being beamed around Australia twice a week via Sky Racing.

And with that, among other things, came jobs, race track improvements, training facilities, kennel house upgrades, introduction of extra race distances and substantial increases in prizemoney – including Group 3 status for the Mount Gambier Cup.

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