Innisfail Turf Club veteran recognised for four decades of service

By Andrew Smith

It doesn’t get much better than captaining your local first-grade rugby league team to a premiership.

But for Vince Cooper, a win at the racetrack proved to be an even bigger moment that saw him give up that football career.

The 73-year-old has been involved with the Innisfail Turf Club since the early 1980s, contributing over four decades of service in a variety of roles.

For his tireless contribution, the club president has been recognised with Racing Queensland’s Cheer A Volunteer award.

Cooper explained how he had swapped the rugby league field for the racetrack over forty years ago.

“I captained the A-grade team to a premiership in 1981 – our horse also won the Innisfail Cup that year, and the president at the time asked me if I wanted to be on the committee,” Cooper said.

“I thought well, I'm not going to play much more football, so I joined the committee in 1982 and have been there ever since.

“I couldn't always be full time because I worked in cane harvesting and bananas and things like that, so I'll come on the weekends, but not much during the week.

“It's not a big job and it's not overtaxing on yourself – to me it’s been quite easy and it's interesting, you've got to have an interest in life.

“I think it's after the races when you have a couple of beers with the boys from the barriers and the stewards and a couple of the committee fellas - that's what I enjoy the most.”

During his time at the Far North Queensland club, Cooper has held numerous leadership roles, spending several years as vice president before taking on the top job in 2025.

The septuagenarian has also been heavily involved in the upkeep, maintenance, and continual upgrade of the training tracks and facilities at Pease Park.

The club races around eight times a year, with this year’s Innisfail Cup meeting to be held on Saturday, October 17.

Cooper explained how the wet season in the tropical Far North often wreaked havoc with plans to keep the turf on the track at a racing standard.

“You’ve got to make sure the track gets mowed and it's a battle as it is - with 3,500 mills of rain a year, we battle to get it done,” Cooper said.

“You can imagine in the summer, it's just an every-week job.

“After you race you’ve got to patch the track, and that's a fair sort of a job when you get about 60 horses, you can imagine it can be a hard sort of a job.

“There’s always running rails popping out, the posts themselves get bumped and they snap off, and you've got to go around and fix them

“You're forever digging a drain somewhere to drain the water, and you wouldn't believe how much water pours through.

“We got 12 inches here one night - it flooded through the stables and flooded the whole area.

“You just couldn't imagine it the problems that you have here, but anyway, we're battling on, and we get it done sooner or later.”

Cooper has also played a pivotal role in mentoring prisoners involved in the Innisfail Work Camp program.

The program is aligned with the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre and was initially established to assist with the clean-up after Cyclone Larry in 2006.

Cooper said the program was important to support the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners into the community.

“We get two here at the track five days a week, and they're really good - they come from all around Queensland,” Cooper said.

“Vince O'Brien - who's on our committee - he had a lot more to do with it than I did, but for the last three years, it’s been really good with these fellas.

“Most of them are highly skilled - we've got carpenters and fitters and different trades.

“The main reason is to get them out into a system where they're on their way out to go back into the public arena.

“They start here, then they come here on race mornings and that, and help us set up so they're mixing in with the public.”

In nominating Cooper for the award, club secretary Kellie Harrison said his patient and fair approach had helped prisoners develop confidence and work habits ahead of their release.

She also paid tribute to the long-term club stalwart for his willingness to take on leadership responsibilities when needed.

“Vince has consistently acted as a positive role model, teaching practical skills, demonstrating respect, and reinforcing the values of responsibility, teamwork, and pride in one’s work,” Harrison said.

“He has volunteered countless hours of his own time to ensure the facilities are safe, functional, and maintained to a high standard, directly supporting local trainers, jockeys, staff, and the broader racing community.

“Much of this work has been undertaken on a voluntary basis and goes well beyond the normal expectations of any paid role.

“Vince’s long-standing involvement has had a lasting impact on the welfare and wellbeing of the Innisfail community.

“His actions have inspired fellow community members to volunteer, contribute, and take pride in their local facilities.

“Through decades of voluntary service, leadership, and mentorship, Vince has demonstrated a lifetime of dedication that has enriched the Innisfail Turf Club and the broader community.”

Cooper paid tribute to the rest of the Innisfail committee and Racing Queensland in receiving the award.

He is hopeful of the club continuing to thrive in the future as younger people come on board as volunteers.

“I'm 73 and running out of birthdays – you know you're not going to be here forever,” Cooper said.

“You just hope someone comes along and starts being interested - we get a lot of people at the races, but you don't get many volunteers anymore, it's a bit of a pity.

“We got a fair few fellas that'll just come and help you out of the blue, but not too many younger people.

“It's hard to get people to volunteer, but it's not hard or anything like that.

“It'd be good to get some younger people who look to do something like that – it’s a good thing to be in.”

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.