Robert McCurdy Steps Down As Sandown Director
The Sandown Greyhound Racing Club has today announced the resignation of one of its long-serving Directors in Mr Robert McCurdy.
Having joined the Committee in 1989, Robert has served the Club for more than 20 years, but cited increasing work and family pressures as the reasons for relinquishing his tenure. The Club extends its sincere gratitude to Robert, and his wife Annette, for the enduring contribution that they have made to Sandown Park during that time.
The Committee has appointed Mr John Sharkie as a replacement Director in accordance with the Club's constitution. John is a qualified solicitor who has operated his sole legal practice in Caulfield for 35 years. He brings that experience to the Club at a time when Sandown Park stands poised to implement a number of initiatives aimed at developing and repositioning the venue for long-term commercial opportunities.
As President of the Springvale Football Club for the past 15 years, John has successfully overseen the financial transformation of that organisation and played a pivotal role in their more recent transition to the Casey Scorpions (affiliated to AFL Club the Melbourne Demons). He participated in greyhound racing as a hobby trainer in his early days before family commitments eventually forced him to ‘hang up the leads'.
He has owned a number of greyhounds since the early 1990's including multiple city winners Red Ablaze and Muzumbo, and has been a member of the Sandown Greyhound Racing Club since 1998. John and his wife Ruth continue to reside in their home in Dandenong North where they have raised a family of four children.
Sandown Chairman Geoff Dawson stated that the Club felt “very fortunate to have access to someone possessing the ability and integrity that John brings to the table at such an exciting time for the Club”.