Fifty years of Ewan racing couple’s efforts celebrated

By Andrew Smith

With the nearest town over an hour away, accommodation is scarce around the Ewan Amateur Turf Club.

That's why the land next to the racetrack is taken over by campervans once a year.

Trainers, jockeys and punters come from far and wide to set up camp a few days out from the club’s annual two-day racing carnival in September.

The camp has been a staple of the North Queensland club since 1974, when it was first set up by club stalwarts Graham and Karney Von Wald.

The husband-and-wife team have been recognised for their years of valuable contribution to racing in the region with Racing Queensland’s Cheer A Volunteer award.

The couple, both aged 78, are involved in the maintenance of the track and facilities, along with earthworks, construction and plumbing.

But it was their establishment of the camp 50 years ago this year that has helped contribute to the outstanding atmosphere that comes with the race days.

Graham explained that the camp had been started from humble beginnings as a two-bay shed with a small camp kitchen.

“We probably had about 20 people the first year when we established that and it’s gradually grown,” Graham said.

“We had been trying to promote the club and get it to grow and we invited more sponsors and more people, we went to other race meetings, waved the flag and the camp just got bigger and bigger.

“A lot of people will come on a Wednesday or Thursday afternoon, and go home Sunday after the races.

“At its peak, on a Saturday night we would have about 120 people for dinner.

“In the old days when we had grass-fed racing, we would be here for the two weeks before a race day, and a couple of days after, putting stuff away and tidying up.”

The club was first established in April 1922, around 160km north of Townsville at the old tin mining township of Ewan, and closed down in 1934 due to the impact of the Great Depression.

It experienced a revival in 1955 and held an annual event until, after much discussion and debate, the club was relocated to its present site on Stockyard Creek in 1970, with the first meeting held in 1971.

After almost 100 years of grass-fed racing, the club switched to corn-fed meetings in 2015, and held its first TAB race day in 2021.

Graham has been actively involved with the club in many capacities at both sites since 1966, taking on the roles of club member, horse owner, and even jockey if the riding ranks were short on numbers.

He also served as club president for 23 years and is now a proud Life Member along with wife Karney.

“I’m pretty surprised by the Cheer A Volunteer award - it’s a wonderful award, I wouldn’t have been able to get it without the help of my wife who does a lot of work too,” Graham said.

“From where we started at the old racetrack and to come to the new one, we had to build everything from scratch, and there are a lot of good friends not with us anymore that were involved.

“In the old days of grass-fed racing, we used to struggle for horse numbers and crowds.

“Since we went corn-fed, it has been about finding ways to water the track and we used to do it with a water truck only, which involved long hours of driving a water truck around the course.”

The couple lives in Townsville and make the 146km trek to the racecourse around 10 weeks out from the annual event in September.

Both Graham and Karney help get the track surface and facilities ready to ensure they are in peak condition come race day, with the course still hosting a TAB meeting on the Friday.

They also recently picked up the annual Charters Towers Amateurs meeting.

“It keeps us a bit young, getting out here and doing that during the year,” Graham said.

“We’ve got a couple of mowers for the club and we both jump on and mow and do all that sort of thing, and help out with the watering - we try to get it green and looking good for the general public.

“It’s a pretty good community thing Ewan has got going, we wouldn’t be where we are today without a good volunteer base.

“The club is where it is today because of the volunteers which includes the committee, the president, right down to ordinary members who are in the camps.”

Committee member Trisha Currie, who nominated Graham and Karney for the award, said the couple’s contributions had been vital for the club.

“I am nominating them for their exceptional efforts and dedicated commitment to the improvement and upkeep of our country race track,” Trisha said.

“We only race for two days once a year in September, but without people like Graham and Karney, events like Ewan would not continue.

“The success of country race meetings is largely due to the willingness of the volunteers committing their time and physical efforts towards the improvement of facilities and maintenance of the existing club facilities, thus making the annual event a more enjoyable occasion for everyone.

“If you are looking to give awards or recognition to those behind the scenes, Graham and Karney Von Wald are very deserving of this award.”

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.