Excitement is building and tails are wagging for the grand opening of The Q a world-class greyhound racing facility in Purga, Ipswich next month, the new home of the Queensland Greyhound Racing Club (QGRC) incorporating Brisbane and Ipswich clubs, the new Greyhound complex is purported to be the most advanced and modern complex in the world.
John Dickson DWS Hospitality Consultants have been supporting the project by developing a Feasibility Study for incorporating the new Community Club in the development three years ago, which resulted in a decision to incorporate a community club. DWS continued to assist organising Liquor and Gaming Community Impact Statements and managing gaming and liquor submissions to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR). More recently it assisted in the recruitment of Russell Reeves as the club’s General Manager.
Greyhound racing already contributes more than $196 million to the Brisbane and Ipswich economies each year. A brand-new centre will be a game changer for the industry and assist the local economy, opening the door to hosting some of the world’s prestigious races. Animal care is at the heart of The Q’s design and operation. The Q will use the latest best practice standards for greyhound racing safety principles.
Photograph in the club prior to opening his new Club Manager Russell Reeves and DWS John Dickson
The broader precinct at The Q, incorporating the gardens, walkways and community facilities, will be known as Parklands, while the track names will be known as: Q1 Lakeside; Q2 Parklands; and Q Straight. It will also be one of the few centres in the world with a straight track, a one-turn track, and a two-turn track to suit the size, age, running gait and athletic abilities of different greyhounds. The development of the new complex provides a unique opportunity to not only enhance the growth in popularity of greyhound racing but to make it part of the local community.
In addition to the state-of the art racetracks, and modern Greyhound facilities, the new complex also incorporates a new community Club with viewing and dining facilities that will provide patrons with panoramic views across all tracks, as well as entertainment and gaming facilities. The club will also incorporate, designated kids play area following a trend in the Clubs industry of adding or upgrading kids areas to entertain younger families.
A major focus of the complex will be animal welfare, the complex includes veterinary clinics, training facilities, and the opportunity for the public to better connect with the greyhounds, one of the emerging side-effects to the complex development will be small farm development for breeding and training of greyhounds adding to the economic stimulus of the area.
About the Author
John Dickson is the Founder and Executive Chairman of DWS Hospitality Specialists. With over 40 years of senior management and consulting experience in the hospitality and leisure sectors, John specialises in:
- Strategic Planning
- Corporate Governance
- Business Structure & Compliance
- Workshop & Training Facilitation
📩 Learn more about John here, or contact John Dickson at john@dws.net.au to discuss your Club’s governance and strategic planning needs.
