Parliamentary Speeches
Ballina Lady Jockeys Racing Museum ( 19/05/2010)
Mr DONALD PAGE (Ballina) [10.46 a.m.]: Horseracing holds a special place in Australia's history. It is a sport full of stories of fair dinkum Aussie characters and larrikins all linked by their love of horses, the exhilaration of a race, the thrill of a win and the disappointment of a loss. I am proud, therefore, to advise Parliament of plans by the Ballina Jockey Club to honour the contribution of female jockeys to the Australian racing industry. The Ballina Jockey Club considers itself to be one of the most innovative race clubs in the country. The racetrack on the Richmond River has been operating for more than 100 years. In the early days of racing in the Northern Rivers, the Ballina Jockey Club used to pay for horses to be transported by steamer from Sydney to Ballina to compete in the Ballina Cup. It is now working on developing an Australian Lady Jockeys Racing Museum to document the contribution that women have made to the industry and their struggle to compete with their male counterparts.
The Ballina Jockey Club recently announced its plans, noting that the official story of lady riders in Australia has a rich history. There was a tradition of amateur "ladies only" picnic races in Victoria as early as the 1850s, but ladies were excluded from full professional competition until 1979. The Ballina Jockey Club has advised that the first professional lady jockey was probably a woman called Wilhemena Smith. Wilhemena apparently called herself "Bill" and rode as a man on Queensland country racetracks during the 1940s and 1950s, keeping her gender a secret. The Ballina Jockey Club has already taken the initiative to recognise lady jockeys by establishing the Iris Nielsen Memorial Race, an invitation-only race for lady jockeys. It is a significant race that is worth $50,000, and the majority of senior lady jockeys in Australia are invited to ride and take part.
The race is not simply a celebration of the contribution of lady jockeys to professional racing, but a tribute to the late Iris Nielsen, who died in a race fall in Lismore in 1988—the first woman jockey in Australia to be killed in such circumstances. Iris Nielsen was based in Ballina. The Ballina Jockey Club feels that it is the spiritual home of lady jockeys and is well aware of their struggles and triumphs in achieving their goals in the competitive sport of thoroughbred racing. The Lady Jockeys Racing Museum will primarily record the achievements of both Australian and New Zealand lady jockeys and will also incorporate a section to celebrate the achievements of female jockeys on the international stage. The Ballina Jockey Club is planning a major upgrade of its facilities to incorporate the museum and to ensure that it caters properly for visitors, as well as racegoers and jockeys.
It is planning to build a two-storey facility to house the Lady Jockeys Racing Museum, a restaurant, rooms for female and male jockeys, a stewards' room, a media control centre, a creche, a first-aid room, a snack bar and a room for the course veterinary surgeon. It is intended that the restaurant will provide funding for the maintenance and upkeep of the museum. Money is also expected to be generated from licence fees, admission fees and proceeds from the sale of souvenirs. The Ballina Jockey Club is seeking funding from the State and Federal governments of $3.1 million to build the Australian Lady Jockeys Racing Museum. This outlay, however, is expected to reap many millions of dollars every year from visitors, the racing fraternity and general public who are interested the history of horseracing.
The jockey club has considered trying to raise private equity to fund its plans but this is not a feasible option given the land on which the racetrack and facilities are built is owned by the Crown and leased by the Ballina Jockey Club. The Ballina Jockey Club is a major contributor to the region's economy, injecting approximately $25 million into the local economy each year and providing dozens of jobs. This is expected to increase significantly with the development of the complex housing the Lady Jockeys Racing Museum. I urge the New South Wales Labor Government to support projects such as this in regional New South Wales. Premier Keneally talks about ensuring that New South Wales is regarded as the number one State in Australia for business and tourism. Here is a project that can deliver both those benefits to a regional centre.
Investing in the Lady Jockeys Racing Museum will create short- and long-term employment, attract tourists and contribute to the local economy. The creation of this museum is a vision of the Ballina Jockey Club that will be recognised on a national and an international level. This is a project that needs the backing of the New South Wales Government. So I ask Premier Keneally and her racing Minister, Kevin Greene, to have a punt. Unlike a horse race, this project is a sure bet—you cannot lose. I look forward to their support for this worthy project. I am delighted that the Minister for Tourism is at the table and I am sure that, from a tourism perspective, she would support such an exciting project that seeks to honour the great contribution that lady jockeys have made to thoroughbred racing.
