Moranbah volunteer helping to build better future for country club

By Andrew Smith

From being a bookmaker’s clerk, horse owner, club secretary, treasurer and now vice-president – there are not many areas of racing off the track that Bianca Bulst has not been involved in.

The 30-year-old has been named the latest Racing Queensland Cheer A Volunteer winner for her efforts in helping the Moranbah Race Club run smoothly.

Bianca said that she had been having a rough day up until receiving the news that she was the latest recipient of the award.

“I’d actually had a very bad day with a few people complaining about things and I had come down with the flu that day too, so getting that phone call definitely made everything I do worth it,” Bianca said.

“It was very surprising and extremely appreciated.

“We don’t do this to get an award or be recognised or anything like that but we do it because we love racing and we love the culture and we love the challenges and the experience that comes with it.

“When you get all the negative stuff and you get something positive, it makes it all worth it.”

Bianca had originally worked as a bookmaker’s clerk for five-and-a-half years around the region, frequenting meetings at Middlemount, Emerald, Alpha, Gladstone, Yeppoon and even the famous Birdsville Races.

It was when she became a part-owner of talented filly Paradis Imperial that she truly became immersed in the racing game.

The Tony McMahon-trained galloper pocketed almost $380,000 in prizemoney during a career that netted 10 wins and eleven placings, including a third-place finish in the 2018 QTIS 3YO Jewel on the Gold Coast.

“I was very privileged my first horse ever horse was Paradis Imperial, and she did exceptional and excelled at everything that I ever dreamed could come out of owning a first horse,” Bianca said.

“That’s when I fell in love with racing.

“When I moved to Moranbah that’s when I jumped in and helped the club because there were trainers here and I knew them through bookmaking and that’s how I started.”

Bianca has been with the club on and off for just over four years - first as a general member then as secretary for two and a half years before taking a break due to family commitments.

Returning a few months later, she was appointed vice-president of the Isaac Region club which hosts three race meetings a year.

The mother-of-one now juggles a full-time job and handling the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running the club including compliance, applying for grants, obtaining sponsors and organising staff and facilities for race days.

“The biggest highlight for myself is getting grant approvals from Racing Queensland – we were very lucky this financial year to get an outside running rail, and the financial year before our bathhouse was converted to unisex and we got the new racing tower as well,” Bianca said.

“So the fact that we’ve got some very large asset improvements in the last three years would be one of my highlights.”

Bianca channels the famous mantra of the Hollywood film Field of Dreams when talking about the future of the Moranbah Race Club.

She is a firm believer that “if you build it, they will come” – specifically when it comes to infrastructure improvements and attracting more racegoers and members.

“We do actually have a proposed renovation master plan for the race club, and that will be my next big-ticket item to get the ball rolling on,” Bianca said.

“I do feel that improving our facilities will improve our community as well.

“I know a lot of other clubs are facing the same thing with volunteers or community support and I do think a lot of that comes down to the facility that is provided as well.

“I enjoy seeing everyone on race days enjoy their day out - it makes all the hard work worth it and the club is growing over the last four or five years I’ve been with them.

“It’s about taking on what our members and our patrons are saying about the club, and going ‘hey look we think these are areas that need improvement,’ and being able to improve that area I think is a very big achievement for myself.”

The club will host its next race meeting on Saturday, March 29.

Bianca said the committee had experienced plenty of turnover in the last few years as members move away from the area or have a change in circumstances.

Like all country clubs, they are continually calling for volunteers to assist, especially in the lead up to race days.

“People seem to think it comes down to a thing of it’s like a full-time job… sometimes it’s just the extra hands to help out on clean up days or setting up of the race day or just letting someone into the facility for venue hire,” Bianca said.

“I have such a great team of volunteers that work well with me - we bounce ideas, we get feedback, we work together and we assist where we can.

“If you’ve always wanted to try something definitely jump in and try - even if it’s just coming and lending a hand for a couple of hours because sometimes those two hours of your help has taken six hours off someone else’s day.”

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.