Vivian Beresford Inducted In Australian Hall Of Fame
Legendary trainer, the late Vivian Berresford, is the first Tasmanian trainer to be inducted into the Australian greyhound racing hall of fame.
His widow Janet, accepted the award at the annual Australian Greyhound Racing Association presentation dinner in Adelaide earlier this month.
Born in 1921, the son of a Fingal policeman, Berresford passed away in 2004 following a 38 year involvement in the sport, having won a total of 2,500 races during his illustrious career.
Having watched live coursing from an early age, he purchased his first greyhound in 1931, however it died of distemper, prompting him to prematurely retire from the sport for 16 years.
Becoming involved again in 1947, Berresford purchased the bitch Laura Murray for 15 pounds while enjoying a beer and it was that bitch and later her progeny, which provided him with many of his victories, in fact it has been said that the immediate dynasty was to produce the winners of close to 600 races.
Initially Berresford prepared his team from the Launceston suburb of Glen Dhu, Irish Dhu and Baron Dhu being two of the standouts to immediately place him in the spotlight as a trainer.
Baron Dhu ( Diamond Andy – Laura Murray) won his heat, semi-final and final of the 1952 Maiden Thousand and then just 28 days later took out the prestigious 1952 Hobart Thousand against some of the best chasers in the land.
Four years hence in 1956, he once again won the Hobart Thousand with another of the progeny of Laura Murray in Baron Woomera, a son of Erin's Ace.
In the late 1950's Berresford relocated to a property in White Hills Road near Evandale and it was from this complex that he achieved the majority of his success.
Training a large team, often utilising a home made mobile walking machine, he won the majority of Tasmania's feature races, sometimes on more than one occasion.
He also dabbled with standardbred breeding, standing the imported stallion Smart Set, a son of Ensign Hanover which had been foaled at Castleton Stud in Lexington, Kentucky.
Over the years Berresford's kennels produced top chasers of the calibre of Ripple Bay, White Danny, Baron The Great, Gay Delawere, Moomba Queen, Baron Band, Baroness Beauty, Lady Maserati, Baroness Belle, Forbes, Baron Rover, Baron Bid, Baron Good, Baron Belmont, Lady Legana, Morven Park, Miss Maserati, Jessie Mite, Ripple Harbour, Lady Ridgeside, Miss Zealon and the previously mentioned Irish Dhu, Baron Dhu and Baron Woomera.
The trainers greatest single feat came in 1963, when on the same night he won six races in Launceston, the Tasmanian Puppy Championship in Hobart and a race at Harold Park.
Berresford won six races on a programme on four occasions during his outstanding training career.
In 1972, at 50 years of age Berresford was to marry Janet Cartledge, the daughter of well known greyhound racing participant Lance Cartledge and the pair were to produce two daughters, Belinda and Melissa.
In the mid 1970's Berresford became heavily involved with local government as an Evandale councillor and the majority of the training was handed to Janet, who continued the kennel's outstanding run of success.
In 2000 Viv Berresford was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia ( OAM) for his service to Local Government, having also been awarded greyhound racing's Outstanding Achievement award in 1991.
Viv was quoted by the Saturday Evening Mercury in July 1974 as saying, “Love your animals and if they are good enough, they will reward you with their racing performances.”