Ray Fewings Re-Appointed to GRSA Board
Industry stalwart, Ray Fewings, has been re-appointed for a second term as a Board Member for Greyhound Racing SA (GRSA), in the role of Company Director – Industry Experience.
Mr Fewings’ extensive background in the industry dates back to 1961 as a racecaller and greyhound owner. In the course of his involvement with the sport, Ray has been a greyhound trainer as well as a caller across the three codes on Sky Racing for more than 60 years, while still continuing to train greyhounds in his own right.
Appointments to this particular Board role have previously been resolved by way of an election involving registered participants, but are now undertaken through the Director Selection Panel as a condition of Government current funding.
Ray joined the GRSA Board of Directors in 2017, at a time when the organisation and its stakeholders were facing multiple challenges. Ray has brought invaluable industry experience and context to the Board table, helping to guide GRSA’s efforts in relation to participant sustainability – including the introduction of an equity stakemoney model operating under the framework of Wagering Activity Payments (WAP) – and its management of recent COVID-19 and canine gastroenteritis outbreaks.
The organisation has subsequently established a solid foundation of growth for the coming years. The race meeting schedule around Adelaide now covers all seven days of the week, and stakemoney reductions in 2019 and 2020 have been remedied by way of more than $3 million worth of additional payments in the current year, comprising of monthly WAP distributions and a discretionary payment to industry of $1 million in February of this year.
Chairman of the Board, Grantley Stevens communicated his support of Ray’s re-appointment. “Ray has been an outstanding contributor to the business over the past 3 years. His understanding and experience as an industry participant are invaluable and I am delighted that Ray has been given the opportunity to continue with us into the future.”
“It is very pleasing to be able to continue my role as a Director for Greyhound Racing SA. I feel as a business and industry we have made great progress and am looking forward to what the next 3 years will bring” Mr Fewings commented.