‘It’s just another hit for us’: Veteran greyhound trainer bites back

Nothing much changes for greyhound trainer Luke Azzopardi, who has lived his passion for more than 50 years.

Walk onto his Londonderry property in north-western Sydney and the 75-year-old is down the back in his kennels with dogs young and old. It’s his happy place, full of memories.

Greyhound trainer Luke Azzopardi with Ollie Impact at his Londonderry kennels.Credit: Nick Moir

“You have to love your dogs to do it,” he said. “It’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“I had my first dog in 1969 and when I retired I came out here and did it properly with a bit of space. It’s my life.”

Azzopardi is aware of the latest controversy involving his sport after GRNSW chief executive Robert Macaulay resigned on Tuesday following another damning report into the industry and some of its practices.

A couple of puppies charge around greyhound trainer Luke Azzopardi in their yard at Londonderry.Credit: Nick Moir

“It’s just another hit for us,” Azzopardi said. “We rehomed our dogs and get photos of them in their new lives.

“It’s great to see them happy and if you can have them fit and happy, that is the most important thing.”

He adds with a dash of resignation: “I can only do what I do. There are a lot of good people out there in the sport.”

Azzopardi was up at 5am on Wednesday, getting feed ready for his dogs before they have some exercise. His mate and fellow trainer Alan Proctor drops in for a chat. They talk dogs, not the politics around the sport.

“I’m down here by 20 past five in the morning getting their food ready. By the time you put them out and clean up their poo, the morning is done,” Azzopardi said. “We will race at Richmond [on Wednesday] and still be going with them until late.

“Then I’ll get up and do it again in the morning, I love it.”

Azzopardi bought his property for $70,000 at the beginning of the century, and now places around his property are “in the threes” – $3 million. But he is not ready to move.

There is plenty of space out the back where a couple of six-month-old pups play in the yard, the next generation of the operation.

“You are always planning for the future,” Azzopardi said.

There are a couple of houses on the property and even the kennel is a double-brick building, which was intended to be flat for humans rather than dogs.

“I built this place so it could be converted into a flat. That was 24 years ago and I haven’t needed to change it yet,” he said. “I’m going to keep doing this [training] for a while yet.”

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