Thursday nights will never be the same again in Australia when the last bunny rolls to the boxes at the Dapto Dogs tonight.
A showground west of Wollongong is known as a dog track around the world, but around 11pm, its final race will be run.
Dapto Showgrounds is the home to the show, and the home ground of the Dapto Canaries, a nod to the mining past of the area, as well as greyhound racing.
But definitely not in that order.
The dogs stand out and make the suburb part of the Australian vernacular.
“There is not a person in the world of racing that hasn’t heard of Dapto,” Paul Ambrosoli said.
“It’s unique for the greyhounds. One night I was talking to the studio from Dapto, and they had a line open to England and they were laughing because I was calling every dog by its name, but they knew Dapto.”
“It is a part of Australian sport.”
Ambrosoli was the voice of greyhound racing for 50 years and at 80 will be there to farewell the South coast track. He will relive a lifetime of memories and no doubt see a raft old friends he knows and doesn’t.
“I remember one night a reporter from the Herald came to do a story on me and he was shocked when he got to the box,” Ambrosoli said. “I was in a coat and tie, and before he asked a question, he said you’re the best dressed bloke here – by some way.”
“That was Dapto, it never tried to be anything it wasn’t. It’s a great track.”
Dapto holds around 2500 and will be full for the final night, despite Sydney’s big wet, a throwback to the days when 30 bookmakers fielded every week.
The end comes with the lease not being renewed, and while Greyhound Racing NSW have bought a new site on Bong Bong Road, a matter of kilometres from the Showgrounds, it is the end of an era.
It remains unclear when a new track might be built.
“It is ridiculous, it’s terrible,” Ambrosoli said. “We need Dapto because everyone knows it.”
The final will see a cavalcade of racecallers across a 12-race card, who ticked the Dapto box.
Russell Veitch, Sydney’s number one dogs caller, will be behind the microphone for three races, including the Dapto Megastar and will be joined through the night by Tim Newbold and Matt Jackson, his predecessors, as well as Darren Flindell, Fred Hastings and a number of others.
Luke Marlow helped put the list together and remembers arriving from central Queensland, walking into the Dapto box.
“All my mates knew Dapto dogs and when I was calling them it was a big thing,” Marlow said. “We want to see it off with a big night and everyone who has called there wanted to go back.”
“I didn’t have to ask anyone twice to be involved.”
