The Racecourse
Frank Dunshea: Recollections of Acton between 1926-1946
[Excerpts on the racecourse]
"Situated on the flat between Butter's Hill and Springbank Dairy, and with the Community Hospital looking down on it from the hill where the ANU School of Physics building stands was the Acton Race Course which also included about 7 holes of the 9 hole Federal Golf Course within its boundary. A lane ran between the Racecourse fence and the RCGC Boundary down to Kaye's Springbank Dairy and the Bates residence.
As well as the Golf Course there were also some football fields with very rough surfaces included inside the race track. Kaye's Dairy Farm also used the race course area to graze sheep which had to be rounded up and transferred to other paddocks on days when the track was in use. […]
The race course had a fenced off section with some huts in it for the stewards and jockeys, a betting ring and stables etc. On race days marquees would be erected for the bar and refreshment booths and troughs and pans surrounded by hessian covered fences would be erected for the toilets with plenty of sawdust scattered around. The hill provided a good view of most of the track and straight for the spectators. There was very little in the way seating and no stands.
On race days myself and several other Acton boys would sell race books to punters at the gates. This activity was controlled by a man nicknamed Deaffy Martin because of his hardness of hearing. A racebook which gave the punters information about the starts in each race cost one shilling and we got one penny for each book we sold.
On the day after the races we would be down at the track early to collect bottles to sell to the Botlo who came around regularly. In those days we also searched for dropped coins around the betting ring and bar area.
The bar (or beer tent as it was often called), was run for many years by Murdoch McGregor and a regular crew of helpers. Murdoch McGregor was a supervisor with the Electricity Supply and my first boss when I started my apprenticeship. He was also very prominent as an official in hockey circles in Canberra in those days.
A few of the cottages residents were involved in the racing scene. Pat Dudley a well known country jockey lived with his family in No. 8 for some years. His son Arthur is still involved in Canberra Racing. Bert Gardiner who occupied No. 15 trained horses and usually had one or two race horses in training. […]
The Picnic Races were also an annual event at the race track with the unregistered and amateur riders taking part. I still have memories of Bobby Llewellyn coming down the straight leading the pack on her very big horse Trooper which was a favourite at these events."