South Australia Harness Racing Club members upset at plans to sell land to clear $3.5m in debts

The plans to sell the land in Adelaide’s north to clear millions of dollars of debt have been met with despair from upset members.

Harness racing enthusiasts are in uproar over plans to sell large parts of the state’s main trots facility for development.

The SA Harness Racing Club (SAHRC) will hold a special meeting at Globe Derby Park on Sunday to vote on a proposal to subdivide 12.5ha of land beside Port Wakefield Rd to clear debts totalling $3.5m.

The money is owed to a Queensland developer, Kevin Seymour, who lent the club $3.5m in 2020 to save it from the threat of voluntary administration following years of poor financial management.

The club’s committee wants approval to enter into a formal deal with Mr Seymour’s company, Seymour Group, to develop 22 land parcels for light industrial and commercial use.

The proposed land subdivision at Globe Derby Park

In a letter circulated within the harness industry, former SAHRC committee member Tony Copeland said too many unanswered questions remained about the deal to enable its approval.

Mr Copeland said they included the cost of preparing the land for subdivision, whether a training track would be replaced and how the club could continue repaying Mr Seymour’s $3.5m loan when its president, Anne Mowday, recently told members it was annually losing $500,000.

“The economics are at best questionable and one has to ask who will benefit,” he said.

“Further concern arises when the rumour mill begins spreading the word, supposedly leaked … that if members do not agree with this proposal the entire complex will be gone in three years.

“Put bluntly it would seem to spell out the death knell for harness racing at Globe Derby Park.”

The ageing grandstand at Globe Derby Park. Picture: Colin James

Mr Copeland attached a petition by 31 SAHRC members last October calling for a special meeting to pass a vote of no confidence in the committee.

“This request has been totally ignored,” he said.

“The committee have not even acknowledged receipt. There may well be grounds for rejecting the request but there is no excuse for ignoring it.”

Mr Copeland said the feeling among many SAHRC members “was we are wasting our time pursuing issues and we cannot afford legal action”.

“Before agreeing to the current proposal, members should demand that in-depth consultation should take place with the view of seeking assistance by way of government grants or a low interest loan,” he said.

Ms Mowday did not respond to a request for comment.