Craig Trezise elected as Darwin Turf Club chairperson

The Darwin Turf Club board has unveiled a new man at the helm, following Richard O’Sullivan’s decision to step down.

The Darwin Turf Club board has undergone a major reshuffle with Richard O’Sullivan officially stepping down as chairperson while a born and bred Territorian has come into the role.

Long-time Turf Club member Craig Trezise joined the board in May 2022 as the organisation was starting to pull itself out from under the shadow of a $12m debt.

Outgoing chairperson Mr O’Sullivan came in at the end of 2021 in place of Brett Dixon, at a time of great turmoil for the club which saw it in strife with the Territory government.

It came after former chief minister Michael Gunner and then Racing Minister Natasha Fyles boycotted Cup Carnival meets and issued threats to recoup the $12m spent on the grandstand.

Mr Trezise praised the efforts of his predecessor in the work pulling the Turf Club through those times, and also said he was looking forward to steering the club towards its future.

“Richard did a fantastic job in taking the organisation and steering it through a very difficult time,” Mr Trezise said.

“We had a lot of historical issues and he did a fantastic job guiding us through.

Craig Trezise has been elected as the new Darwin Turf Club chairperson.

“We’re now seeing blue skies from a board and management perspective, so it’s time to move on to the next stage and I think I’m ideally suited to drive that stage.

“We’re very keen to develop our master plan to utilise our facility and create the best environment we can for racing in Darwin.

“The master plan will see us fully utilise our 43ha site in line with what government wants and what our industry and the Turf Club needs.”

Mr Trezise is a proud Territory man who has been involved in a number of Top End businesses.

He has been the managing director of Ausblok for the past eight years and was previously the chairperson of the Darwin Basketball Association.

Outgoing Darwin Turf Club chairman Richard O'Sullivan. Picture: Thomas Morgan

He called it a huge honour to be invited to take on the main role at the Darwin Turf Club.

“Very honoured to be invited by the board and board membership to stay at the organisation,” Mr Trezise said.

“The Darwin Turf Club has a fantastic ethos, I’ve always been a fan of what it offers Darwin and the community.

“It’s always been seen as one of those organisations which really promotes the NT right across Australia, it’s a place everyone talks about.

“To be the chair is a big honour, and one I look forward to developing over the next 12 months.”

He comes into the role at one of the busiest times of year with the Turf Club preparing to host the ever-popular Darwin Cup Carnival.

Tickets are already selling fast for the event which has promised a touch of difference for its 2023 edition.

The Darwin Turf Club grandstand was a point of contention for some time. Picture: Che Chorley

“We’re very pleased with the numbers for the Darwin Cup Carnival, they’re on trend with last year,” Mr Trezise said.

“We’ve had a very strong uptake in what we’re offering and we know there’s a number of areas already sold out for Cup Carnival which is a fantastic sign.

“The management team are fully focused on the cup, everything else takes a backseat to it at this time of year.

Current Board Members Donna Murray and Ainslie Corridon were voted on to the extended executive panel as Vice Chairperson and Deputy Vice Chairperson respectively.

New members, Tony Morgan and Anthony Schuman, also join the 10 member board whilst Phil Grice and Leanne Evans were voted in by the Turf Club membership

Just under 100 members were in attendance at the AGM on Monday.