By Isaac Murphy
Ipswich club photographers Di and Rick O’Donnell had every right to kick their feet up and enjoy a week off, with the Ipswich Show pressing pause on racing last week.
Instead, with the help of several other industry participants, they gave up their time to be a part of the greyhound sweepstakes at the Ipswich Show over the weekend to showcase the greyhounds and the sport to the public.
There was no argument when Monica’s Joy - owned by the O’Donnells - took out best in show, a just reward for their commitment to the cause.
“It was a real shock to see her win overall Grand Champion, all credit to the Jason Bloomfield and his family, she still lives at their place and they turned her out in beautiful order - it was a real honour,” Di O’Donnell said.
“Hayden (Bloomfield) Jason’s son was able to present Monica when she was being judged for best in show and was able to proudly stand up there when she was declared the winner.
“Hopefully we can make a habit of turning out dogs for the Sweepstakes, Monica has a litter to Two Up Tuffy who are going on 12 months now - they’re easy on the eye too.”
Hundreds packed the stands to see the Sweepstakes on Saturday, with a keen eye there to declare the winners.
“We were able to set up the competition on the dais in front of the grandstand which was a great vantage point for the public and the judge to see the 36 entries over the different categories," O'Donnell said.
"There were pups three to 12 months, pre-race was from 12-24 months, race dogs were two to four years and veterans were five and above,” O’Donnell said.
“The judge picked the best dog and bitch out of each class and compared them to come up with best in show which turned out to be Monica.
“Carolyn Pearen - who’s the senior vice-president of Dogs Queensland - was there to judge, which was fantastic to have someone of her standing there to support the competition.
"She was over the moon to be able to cast her eye over some outstanding greyhounds.”
The Sweepstakes has been a part of the Ipswich Show for years and O’Donnell has been encouraged about the positive change when it comes to public perception.
“It was a great platform for us as industry participants to show that it’s not all about racing and that rivalries and everything else are put to the side when it comes to an event like the Sweepstakes,” she said.
“It’s a concept that’s unique to the Ipswich Show, you just don’t get opportunities like that to interact with families and see the enjoyment they’re getting out of it.
“We’ve been fighting for respect in the community for a long time now and I think Saturday showed we’ve found it because it was the biggest and best year we’ve had yet.”
O’Donnell and Sam Bloomfield were constants at the Ipswich Club stall over the weekend, focusing on the racing side of the industry.
“We had the club stall set up from Friday through Sunday as well where we got the chance to promote greyhound racing to anyone who wanted to stop for a chat,” she said.
“Right beside us we had the good people from the Greyhound Adoption Program, which complemented our stall perfectly.
“People had plenty of questions but the biggest one was what happens to the greyhounds when they retire, so we were able to point to the tent right next to us - plenty weren’t even aware the GAP existed.”
The O’Donnells weren’t the only ones putting in the hard yards to pull off a successful weekend.
“Other trainers who went out of their way to be involved were Stephen and Karen Tribe, Kelly Anderson, Erin Cameron and a young owner Aaron Chalmers,” O’Donnell said.
“John Brasch and Tony Zammit were also integral to the Sweepstakes; Bunny had hosting duties while Tony was there to answer all the questions the crowd wanted to know.
“To have that wealth of knowledge there was invaluable, there would have been countless people who received a greyhound education while enjoying the show.”