First time racegoer became president of two clubs

By Darren Cartwright

In 2005, Samantha Foxwell stepped foot on a racetrack for the first time.

She was in her mid-30s and never had anything to do with the racing game.

It was only that her family had relocated from Lockyer Valley to central west Queensland that she walked into North Gregory Turf Club at Winton for a relaxing day out.

Her fleeting brush with the races turned into a full-blown commitment to the sport in outback Queensland.

For all but three years since her family moved to Winton, Ms Foxwell has been a committee member of either North Gregory Turf Club, Corfield Amateur Race Club or both.

At one stage she was even president of both race clubs but after six years as head of North Gregory Turf Club, she is stepping down.

It was the overwhelming feeling of sense of community among the people she crossed paths with at North Gregory Turf Club that convinced her of the importance of racing as an entertainment, employment and socialising hub for the outback town.

The town itself has a a population of 856, according to the 2021 ABS Census, comprising of 195 families, while Winton Shire, which includes Corfield Amateur Race Club, has a population of 1129.

“We only moved here 17 years ago from the Lockyer Valley, and I went to a race meeting which was the first time I had ever been to a racecourse, she said.

“We got involved because it was about community and there was a need for people to step up so these events would continue for our children to attend.”

During the first year of her six-year reign as president of North Gregory Turf Club, Ms Foxwell was also president of Corfield Amateur Race Club (CARC) where she was secretary for almost a decade.

CARC is situated about 170km southwest of Winton’s town centre and they race there once a year.

“I was at Corfield for about nine years as secretary and a year as treasurer and there was an overlap of a year where I was both President at North Gregory and Treasurer at Corfield,” she said.

At the same time Ms Foxwell took over the president at North Gregory Turf Club, all fresh faces joined the committee, and they had one thing in common – they were all women.

Given the club’s history, having been founded in the 1880s and folklore that legendary Australian bush poet Banjo Patterson was attended meetings, it appears another slice of history when an all-female committee was appointed.

“We’ve had an all-female committee since I became president was about six years ago,” Ms Foxwell said.

“We were the first all-female committee in Queensland, I believe.”

Not that Ms Foxwell ever planned to be president of North Gregory Turf Club nor fill the four-member board with women.

She was content with being on the working committee at North Gregory Turf Club, while still being maintaining her position as treasurer at Corfield Amateurs.

However, after the president stood down six years ago at North Gregory Turf Club, there was no one to fill the void, she said.

“There wasn't anyone else willing to step up and take on the position, but I have enjoyed it” Ms Foxwell said.

It has not been an easy feat for the all-female awesome foursome committee to run two meetings per year.

The most recent meeting was on September 17 while the next date corresponds with one of the biggest race days on the calendar, VRC Champion Stakes Day (formerly Mackinnon Stakes Day)  at Flemington on (November 5.

Treasurer and secretary Linda Young was the backbone of the committee, which includes Melissa Elliott, who arranges the Fashions on the Field, Ms Maxwell said

While it has been a labour of love for both Ms Maxwell and Ms Young, their time has come to step aside.

When they joined the committee, they were working casually, but now have full-time administrative roles in Winton, making them time poor and they are to juggle, work, family life and committee responsibilities, Ms Foxwell said.     

“I’ve been trying to step down for a couple of years now, but no one had come forward,” she explained.

“We are only supposed to have a four-year term and I’m in my sixth year now and Linda is stepping down as well.”

Ideally, Ms Foxwell hopes they are not replaced by females but younger ones as well.

“It’s hard to get the young ones to step up, but the future lies with them,” she said.

* North Gregory Turf Club’s next meeting is on Saturday, November 5, 2022