Double honours for Laura Amateur Turf Club stalwarts

By Andrew Smith

Her name may adorn the trophy that recognises almost two decades of service to the Laura Amateur Turf Club, but Jenni Sorensen has another person in mind when it comes to dedication and commitment.

The long-time secretary of the Far North Queensland club is the latest winner of Racing Queensland’s Cheer A Volunteer award.

While humbled to receive the honour, the 75-year-old paid tribute to the man who she had worked alongside for all those years in Len ‘Slick’ Davies.

The former top Far North jockey had taken over as caretaker of the track after he retired from racing in 2000.

Sadly, Slick passed away at the age of 80 in January of this year after a battle with cancer.

The club recently renamed the home straight of the Laura track in his honour.

In receiving the award, Jenni paid homage to the man who had been the backbone of the small-town club for around 30 years.

“Slick and I were just such good mates, and he was such a good guy...he just kept the club going and he kept the track going,” Jenni said.

“We got along so well and we just did it to get the club where it should be.

“When Cyclone Jasper hit in 2023 and we flooded in January, we raced in June, and that really shouldn't have happened.

“Slick worked so hard to get the track back, and he was just the backbone of the whole club…he worked his little heart out all the time, and now his son's taken over, which is fantastic.

“That was a great honour for him to get the straight named after him, we had a great unveiling of it at the races just before the Laura Cup this year.”

The tiny town sits around four and half hours north of Cairns, with the annual race meeting in June attracting attendees from as far north as Weipa and as far south as Sydney.

It runs alongside a rodeo and campdraft as part of a four-day event that sees the town’s population swell from around 130 to 3,000 people.

Jenni handed over the reins as secretary at last year’s AGM in November, and was recently awarded Life Membership.

Through 10 years in the role, she worked tirelessly alongside the committee, personally organising the annual event, coordinating safety standards, and helping build strong relationships within the local community and racing industry to strengthen and grow the club.

“I’ve done a lot for the club, and managed to get a couple of $100,000 grants to help the club along,” Jenni said.

“Graham Love was president for eight of those years and him and I together, we just got the club back to where it should be.

“It's run with the rodeo as well so there was a bit of animosity between the two clubs, but we got that back on track so now everyone gets on well.

“We all complement each other, and it's a great four-day event.”

While singling out Slick for his efforts over the years, Jenni was also keen to thank the band of volunteers who come together every Easter to help get the track ready to race on.

The current executive committee is spread across Port Douglas, Mount Isa, Laura and Cairns, with volunteers coming from even further afield to give up their time.

“We work on the infrastructure - one year we had 45 volunteers there doing all the outside running rails,” Jenni said.

“We took out all the old timber ones that were getting eaten by white ants and replaced them all with steel, and to do that in four days is quite amazing.

“We probably did 2000 metres worth of railing in four days over Easter. 

“The volunteers come from as far away as Weipa down to Kurrimine Beach and out to Mount Isa, that's how far our volunteers come.

“I feel really humbled to get this award, but also it's the whole club, it’s not just me.

“For a little country race meeting that races once a year and for the volunteers we have and the work they put in, it's just amazing.”

The Laura Amateur Turf Club is already looking ahead to the special celebrations for next year’s 130^th anniversary meeting.

While Jenni will stay involved in the club, she is happy to leave the club’s future planning in safe hands.

“The future of the club is fantastic - next year is our 130th meeting, and it'll just keep getting better and better,” Jenni said.

“We’ll always have a race meeting because I think that if wasn't going to happen. It would have stopped by now.

“The volunteers, the young ones, are coming up and helping out – one year we had a 15-year-old that did all the welding on our saddling paddock.

“We just have great volunteers and a great atmosphere - that's what we've built on is families.

“It’s not just a weekend getaway, we're trying to focus on families, and that's working.”

Clubs are encouraged to nominate their valued volunteers for the award, which is sponsored by 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.