Breeders, Owners, Trainers & Reinspersons Association (Tas) Inc - working for you!
An introduction by BOTRA Tas President, Chester Bullock
BOTRA Tas was established some two and a half years ago, to compliment the efforts of the three regional light harness associations already in existence and pull together industry participants State-wide for the benefit of Tasmanian harness racing and everyone involved in it.
In the relatively short space of time since then, I am happy to say BOTRA Tas has been instrumental in achieving a number of goals, including –
- Introduction of the Tasmanian Sulky Fund
- Breeders percentage bonuses
- Increasing Tasbred bonus returns
- Introduction of the BOTRA Tas website as a means of informing members as well as giving Tasmanian harness racing internet exposure – including race replays
- Adding its weight to that of the regional light harness associations at monthly Harness Advisory Group meetings, where industry concerns are brought to the attention of Racing Services Tasmania in an open discussion forum
- Assisting with the presentation of the Tasmanian Yearling Sale
- Representing the industry where issues arose with Harness Racing Tasmania
- Assisting members involved in stewards enquiries and appeals
- Increased drivers' fees
I have to say that we have appreciated the opportunity to work with the former Harness Racing Board, who were always willing to make themselves available to listen to presentations which BOTRA placed before them, and we thank them for that.
With interesting and challenging times before us, we welcome Trevor Leis’ appointment to the position of harness racing representative on the new Tasmanian Racing Board. I am sure Trevor will bring great wisdom and experience to the table and hopefully new and innovative ideas will be forthcoming to enhance our racing product even further. BOTRA Tas will work towards developing a close working relationship with Trevor over the coming months.
Congratulations also to Kevin Neilson on his appointment to the position of Manager – Harness of the new Tasmanian Racing Board. I am sure that we will continue to enjoy the support of his knowledge within the industry and further fruitful co-operation.
My time as President of BOTRA Tas since its inception has been both challenging and rewarding as we have worked through the process of achieving certain goals set by the committee. It has not always been possible to achieve satisfactory outcomes but, through countless meetings at Board and Government level, I believe we have made some appreciable headway.
We look forward to setting future goals to work towards on behalf of the industry, to enhance the return to owners, trainers, breeders and drivers in coming seasons. We ask that if there are any issues which members feel they cannot resolve as an individual, they bring them to BOTRA and we will, as a committee, take them on board.
Some goals currently in our sights include –
- To increase driving fees to match other States
- To achieve some consistency with nomination times
- To continue to work to represent the views of members within the new racing structure
- To continue to enhance the breeding profile of Tasbred horses
The industry is standing at the crossroads with the introduction of a whole new structure as of 1 January 2009. Back in November, we were invited to participate in a consultative process on the subject and your committee did participate in these forums, presenting industry views at meetings in Launceston and Hobart, along with other interested parties.
Although the model that was presented at the forums has changed slightly, I believe that the new structure will work for the benefit of all the Tasmanian racing codes. To ensure that the new board is successful there must be clear and concise lines of communication between the board and industry. I believe that BOTRA provides an obvious conduit for this communication.
The total industry has been somewhat rocked by the announcement that Tote is now on the market. BOTRA has spent many hours meeting with representatives from all codes regarding this announcement. Representatives from the codes met with several members of the Legislative Council, to discuss our concerns over the future funding of the industry. The members certainly went away better informed.
The critical issue from our perspective is not when, or even if, Tote will be sold, but how will the racing industry in Tasmania be funded in the future, at what level, for how long and what guarantees will be put in place to ensure the long term future of our industry. To date we have not been made aware of any financial model or business case proposed by the Minister.
We are advised that the Tasmanian Racing Board is preparing a financial plan, detailing the current and future funding that is required to maintain our current status and continued growth into the future. I am sure the Board will present a very strong case.
I would like to thank BOTRA Tas committee members, who have worked very hard and spent many hours at meetings and on the phone on members’ behalf over the past two years.
Chester Bullock
President
BOTRA Tas
BOTRA Tas Committee
| President | Chester Bullock |
| Vice President | Barrie Rattray |
| Secretary | Geoff Lucas |
| Committee members | Roger Brown, Michael Castles, Adrian Duggan, Natalie Emery, David Hayes and Brad Walters |
See also -
- BOTRA Tas News
- BOTRA Tas Harness Racing Blog
- BOTRA Tas Membership
- Site help/downloads to fully enjoy this website
