Dignatories , racing enthusiasts, friends , former teaching colleagues from St George Girls, members of our local business community , and residents of the Moorefield Estate, a special welcome.
Today, 65 years to the day of the last race meeting, we stand on hallowed land –that of the racecourse that formed a substantial part of Kogarah’s past. It added immensely to Kogarah’s social fabric, and it was long overdue that its history was recorded.
My book has been almost 25 years in the making. I owe it to Mr Ray Cunningham’s representation for a footpath , that this project got off the ground. He made the representation to me in a phone call in mid -1992, when I was then a Councillor at Rockdale Council. Ray had worked on the racecourse, and commented in one of our conversations,that his knowledge of the racecourse would die with him . I told Ray that “I would write it, as I loved local history and racing history.”
Whilst i have provided a number of acknowledgements in the front of my book, i am dedicating it to a young man , Billy Lappin. Billy Lappin was tragically killed riding Passport at Randwick on February 10 , 1940. To racegoers of the late thirties and early 1940 , there was no one quite like him. The late Mick Polson said that” he was the golden boy of the era and possibly the most popular rider of his time”
There may have been some who doubted that I would finish this project . I was however , in it for the long haul to rightfully record an important part of our neglected racing history, as well as Kogarah’s history . My history is the people’s history ; so many of the locals have told me wonderful anecdotes, which I have attributed to them in my book .
I have met some interesting people and learned much myself about the past. It helped that my late father taught me as I was growing up an appreciation of racing history . He himself had a good knowledge of racing history, and would be delighted to know that today I have delivered- and “can finally salute the winning post .”
Local residents have provided me with old photos, a Moorefieldfield from under old lino, a Moorefield race book , an old Gregory’s street directory –the list goes on .
I have received over the years numerous letters and emails. I treasure this correspondence. My most treasured letter is from Edgar Britt. At Easter time this year, I received a card from an 86 year old Australian lady, who lives north of Amsterdam in the Netherlands . She found my website by chance on her i-pad, and she wrote to thank me for the wonderful memories I had given her when she read my Moorefield Racecourse speeches.
I have travelled far and wide in pursuit of information relevant to my research – meeting with Bill Harris ( former Marshall Street resident ) in Delaware, USA in 1997 ; ex- jockey ,Ted Swinton in Port Macquarie in the late 1990’s, Caulfield Racecourse, Melbourne in mid -1997, to check Moorefield race dates in the then Racing Museum , as well as other destinations.
My book includes mention of horse, jockeys, and racing personalities, who otherwise would have fallen through the cracks. Reuben Gray is ignored in our racing history, yet he was responsible for the strand barrier . Many Moorefield horses made significant achievements and they have been scarcely acknowledged in our racing history. Moorefield had a Melbourne Cup winner in 1947 in Hiraji , and Andy Knox ,a Moorefield jockey rode the 1940 Melbourne Cup winner at 100 to 1.
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Moorefield jockeys who rode overseas –Ted Swinton , John Rincheval and Ted Fordyce, amongst others, have little record of their overseas riding adventures in places such as India , Ceylon , England , Ireland , and Singapore. They were global jockeys before their time.
Moorefield is a story, which belongs to the people of St George . The history abounds with personalities-whether they be jockeys, apprentices, golfers, bookmakers, SP bookmakers , or punters. It is all these people who collectively can be credited with Moorefield gaining the affectionate name of “The Goat Track.“
I must thank three people, who have worked diligently with me in this project. Bruce Sharp , photographer and Moorefield poet has been with me since the mid 1990’s ; Nick Drevikovsky, computer expert, who has been with me since the 2006 Ron Rathbone Local History Awards, and Graham Caves from Heritage at Australian Turf Club, who has been with me since 2015. Graham has checked my racing history, and has helped solve some “historical racing dilemmas” along the way.
I must also thank 3 Local History Librarians , Kirsten Broderick from Rockdale , John Johnson from Kogarah and Julie Fitzsimons from Hurstville Councils . They have provided valuable information on people , maps and photos over a number of years.
I hope that my book will be well read widely across Australia by people, who have an interest in our racing history , as well former and current residents of the St George area. I believe that overseas racing enthusiasts will also find it “a good story.” I trust that it brings pleasure to those who read it, and reminds them that “Kogarah, Sydney , Australia once had a racecourse.”
Anne Field July 14 2016
