The board of Brisbane Racing Club will remain unchanged following an election where Jennifer Creaton, Curt Schatz and Steve Gagel were returned to their roles.
However, the result, announced at Wednesday’s annual general meeting (AGM), was a close-run thing with challenger Kate Davies falling short of a board position by 10 votes.
Davies and Tracy Alba attempted to win one of the three seats available after the previous terms of Creaton, Schatz and Gagel expired.
While she fell short, Davies, CEO of Netball Queensland, is now a likely front-runner for the casual board vacancy created by Simon Gleeson’s departure.
Chairman Neville Bell has long expected to retire from the board in 2025, and he told the meeting that plan remains. Vice-chairman Richard Morrison is favoured to take Bell's position.
The conduct of the board was placed under scrutiny during the AGM in a series of questions raised by Gleeson’s father Wally, who is a prominent breeder.
Bell largely fobbed off the questions, with Gleeson, there as a BRC member, cautioned about interrupting proceedings after Bell was questioned about following annual general meeting (AGM) protocols.
Gleeson attempted to present Bell with a document outlining proper protocols but his request was declined.
RQ CEO Jason Scott, who attended the meeting, said he would happily meet with anyone raising issues of alleged impropriety but told The Straight he was unwilling to act simply based on “racecourse rumour and innuendo”.
It is understood Gleeson plans to meet with Scott over several of the issues he raised in the meeting.
The BRC announced earlier this month that Entain executive Karl deKroo has been appointed as its new CEO and will begin in late November, filling a role left by the sudden departure of Tony Partridge in July.
There is plenty for deKroo to get busy with, given the BRC is still in the midst of its master plan project, while there is a looming rebuild of the John Power Grandstand at Eagle Farm.
Tim Rowe
