Iconic Warragul Greyhound Racing Club stalwart Garry Allen has died, aged 81.
The father of radio personality and golfing expert Mark Allen made a significant contribution to the greyhound racing industry.
He served the Warragul GRC with distinction as president from 2000 to 2010 and was a committee member for 16 years. He was also awarded with life membership of the club.
Allen grew up surrounded by greyhound racing and at 10 years of age was regularly going to the Geelong dogs with his father, uncles’ and grandfather.
However, when the former marketing executive first offered to help his father with his greyhounds, he had no idea it would lead to meeting his wife, Corinne, at the Warragul GRC kennels.
Over more than four decades, Allen played a big part in restoring what was a very run-down venue at Warragul into one of regional Victoria’s best greyhound racing clubs.
And he loved training and racing his greyhounds…
“He was a friend first, and then my boss, and a very good friend last.”
Just a short drive past the Darnum footy ground was Allen’s own little slice of heaven – ‘Collen Park’.
It was more than just his home. His dogs were family, and Collen Park was their home.
Allen, who got his trainer’s licence as a 30-year-old, used to help his father out with his own dogs, but as he started to get older, he stepped up to the plate.
He worked as the national marketing manager for 7-Eleven for 12 years – a hectic, all-encompassing position – but when he’d arrive home, that stress and strain would fade away as he’d head out to check on his greyhounds.
Allen would visit them six times per day. He had a chair right next to their kennels and often when he’d let them out for a run around, he’d stay in his seat and just admire them.
He would often say, “they’re a great lifestyle choice and if you give them a bit of dedication, they’ll give it back”.
Garry Allen with former Warragul GRC managers Adrian Scott and Gerrie Sneyders.
Allen admitted his strengths were in rearing pups, and said their success is all in their upbringing. “If you look after them when they’re young, they develop into such lovely dogs.”
His first Group race finalist was Wot Price Flash – named after a grandchild – which contested the 2016 Traralgon Cup.
Wot Price Flash, purchased for $750 as a pup, won 22 races from 54 starts and almost $43,000 in prizemoney.
Former Warragul GRC manager Gerrie Sneyders said Allen had three main passions in life – his wife and family, his greyhounds, and the Warragul greyhound track.
“When he was marketing manager for local radio station 3GG, he was always striving to get publicity and sponsorship for the club.” Sneyders said. “He was a hard-working bloke for the club and was instrumental in increasing trials there.
“He was a friend first, and then my boss, and a very good friend last.”
NB. Garry Allen’s service will be on Wednesday, June 8 at 1.30pm at Logan Park.
Peter Quilty has more than three decades of experience as assistant editor of Victorian Greyhound Weekly. He was editor of GRV monthly magazine The Adviser (2001-09) and owner/publisher of Australian Greyhound Monthly. He also served on the selection panel for the inaugural GRV ‘Hall of Fame’ inductees and for several years was an adjudicator on the Victorian GOTY. He’s also published greyhound racing yearbooks and wrote the ‘Bold Trease’ video script.
