Labour of love celebrated at Muttaburra Amateur Turf Club

Cover photo: Roxanne Weston

By Andrew Smith

Not many people can say they have coordinated a race meeting in the middle of giving birth, but for Emma Price, it was just another day as a dedicated volunteer.

The 34-year-old is the secretary of the Muttaburra Amateur Turf Club and the latest Racing Queensland Cheer A Volunteer winner.

Emma has been in the role since 2016, while husband Glenn is the current president, with the couple having three young children between them.

Emma juggles the secretary duties in the lead up to club’s annual race day in August, along with homeschooling two children, teaching at Muttaburra State School and working on the family’s beef property.

“There's lots of things to do and you get pretty busy about four or five months out leading up to the races - just organising jobs and trophies and all types of different things like the Fashions on the Field and all the social media which can be quite time consuming,” Emma said.

“It's a big job, and everyone on the committee plays their role, it definitely takes a lot of time.

“Teaching my kids distance education too, it’s like having two big jobs…sometimes I feel like I'm chasing them away a lot when I'm sitting at the computer just trying to get something done for the race club (laughs).

“I’m telling them ‘I've really got to do this for the races’ and they are probably sick of hearing that their whole lives.

“But I do enjoy it and the day always comes off well.”

The club, based in the Barcaldine region in the state’s central west, was founded in 1919 and hosts one race day a year in August, attracting around 400 racegoers.

The race day has only been called off twice in recent history, with COVID-19 cancelling the 2020 meeting and the 2022 meeting being postponed to October due to rainfall in the area.

For the landmark 100^th anniversary meeting in 2019, Emma was juggling both the race day organising, along with a nine-week-old baby at the time.

But it was just before the postponed meeting three years ago which best sums up Emma’s commitment to the club.

“I was actually waiting in Rockhampton to have my third baby - I was induced the day before that October meet, and I had the committee messaging me while I was in labour that day with Poppy,” Emma said with a laugh.

“They were asking me questions ‘How do I do this? How do I do that?’ – they didn't know that I was in labour but I was responding to their messages so they could get everything up and running.

“It was my third time round and all the kids were pretty easy, so it was fine and we had everything under control!

“Some of our committee had made a sign saying “Welcome Poppy” and they were carting the sign around at the track and they sent me all of these photos of everyone holding the sign, so it was really lovely.”

The club’s sponsorship officer Melanie Arnold described Emma as not just a volunteer, but the "backbone of the Muttaburra Amateur Turf Club."

“For nearly a decade, Emma has been the steady hand and driving force behind the scenes, ensuring the smooth running of the club with tireless dedication, patience, and passion,” Melanie said.

“Emma is one of those rare people who never sees anything as too hard, and she’s hands-on in every sense – from organising meetings, coordinating events, and tackling the mountain of admin, to pitching in on race day wherever needed.

“Nothing is ever a problem, and her calm, capable approach is something the whole club values immensely.

“Her ability to manage so many responsibilities with such energy and dedication is nothing short of inspiring.

“We are proud to acknowledge everything she has done and continues to do for our community.”

Emma herself paid homage to the club’s committee for their contributions in getting the racecourse ready for the annual meeting.

“I don't think I do anything more special than anybody else – it is good to get some recognition because it feels like a big job sometimes, but I guess somebody's got to do it,” Emma said.

“The community spirit is great, and everybody lends a hand - even people that aren't on the committee, that do their part every year.

“The people that grade the track, it's a massive job and they're not on the committee, but they just turn up to do that every year.

“We also get lots of tourists in the cool season here, and they're all amazing – they will rock pick our track for us, and they're always there to lend a hand to set up and pack up.

“We just couldn't do it without the volunteers, and that makes the day when everyone is doing their bit to make it all happen.”

Clubs are encouraged to nominate their valued volunteers for the award, which is sponsored by Neil Mansell Transport & Mittys.

State-wide, there are more than 8,300 volunteers who make an invaluable contribution to the industry, providing their time and expertise to sustain Queensland’s three codes of racing.

Click here for more information on Cheer A Volunteer and to nominate.