Kirby Noonan carrying on mother’s legacy at Gordonvale Turf Club

By Andrew Smith

The Gordonvale Turf Club was left devastated when long-time club secretary Kerry Coppin passed away suddenly three years ago.

Club president Kent Alley admits that at the time, he was not sure how he or the local community in the Far North Queensland town would bounce back from the loss of the club stalwart.

But his fears were allayed when Kerry’s daughter Kirby Noonan admirably stepped up to fill the huge boots left by her mother.

For her efforts as club secretary, Kirby is the latest winner of Racing Queensland’s Cheer A Volunteer award.

The 34-year-old works alongside sisters Kylie and Kelly in helping organise the club’s two race days it holds per year.

The born-and-bred local said she was proud to be carrying on her mother’s legacy at the Gordonvale Turf Club in the tiny town just south of Cairns.

“Mum was secretary/treasurer for many years, and I had helped her out in the background for quite a few years,” Kirby said.

“Then when she passed away, I stepped in to help out the club - I didn't know a lot, but I probably knew more than most because I'd been beside Mum for quite a while helping her out behind the scenes, and around the place on race day as well.

“It was a bit sudden when we lost her – we weren’t expecting it and it was only about a month out from our May race day in 2023.

“It was a bit of a hectic time but my sisters and I stepped in to help and pull it all together and I just stuck around on the committee.

“I enjoy helping out and carrying on what Mum had done for so long.”

Along with her sisters, Kirby will handle all the bookings for meetings including ambulances, vets and entertainment.

The mother-of-two will also handle ticketing, marketing and social media in the lead up to the club’s meetings.

She said the support from Kent in particular had helped ensure the club made a smooth transition to life without Kerry.

“It's been a few years, but there's still a lot of things to learn when you have only got two race days a year, all these different things pop up,” Kirby said.

“Kent's great - he and I just work really closely and split up the jobs between the two of us.

“He's got his contacts that he gets in and books, and I do mine, and it's pretty seamless now, and we each know what each other takes care of.

“We've pretty much got it all covered, because we just know now what each other does and we work well together.”

Having known Kirby’s mother since he was young, Kent said her sudden passing had left the Gordonvale Turf Club with a massive hole to fill.

But any concerns that the club would not be able to recover from Kerry’s loss were put to bed when Kirby stepped into the role with ease.

“I was always working alongside Kerry - she was a great help, and she knew the club inside out and had been doing it for about 20 years,” Kent said.

“It was a big shock for us all when she passed - we all just looked at each other and went, ‘holy hell, what are we going to do?’

“Kirby had no experience and had no idea what she was doing, but she has well and truly stepped up to the plate.

“She's carrying on her mother's legacy and she’s very passionate about the turf club.”

Kirby’s work, along with the rest of the committee, have seen the crowds swell at Gordonvale’s two meetings, with well over 2000 people attending the latest race day in October 2025.

The club is already preparing for their May 9 meeting which is set to attract thousands from around the Far North region.

“We get really good crowds, and we get a lot of new people who give great feedback who haven't been to the races before,” Kirby said.

“People will say they didn’t realise what kind of a race day we had or how big it was, and we get a lot of repeat bookings and repeat customers coming back, they just love the relaxed atmosphere.

Kent added: “Half the time, the country races are the only community event they've got left certainly, and they certainly support the Gordonvale races, that's for sure.

“The crowds are growing every year, and the Gordonvale area is expanding – it’s the biggest community event in the southern corridor of Cairns.”

In accepting the award, Kirby paid tribute to the rest of the Gordonvale club committee and her family.

Having seen the countless hours her mother had put in over the years, she was keen to reiterate the value of volunteer work in helping country racing clubs to thrive.

“I appreciate Kent for the nomination – you are behind the scenes, and it's a bit of a thankless job sometimes being a volunteer,” Kirby said.

“It’s really nice to be appreciated and to have people that notice the hard work that you do put in.

“Our whole committee is a volunteer committee, and if you didn't have volunteers, you just would never have race days or any community events.

“Volunteers are what keep all the community events running and are absolutely crucial to communities being able to have entertainment and events around the town.”

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.