Long-serving Brisbane Racing Club director Neville Bell has officially retired from the board of Queensland’s home of metropolitan thoroughbred racing.
In relinquishing his position on the BRC, which oversees the state’s city racecourses Eagle Farm and Doomben, Bell ended his 26-year tenure on the board, the past 12 years of which he served as chairman.
Vice-chairman Richard Morrison, who has been a BRC director for 12 years, will replace Bell as chairman while Terry Svenson will fill the vacancy as his deputy.
Bell had indicated last year that he intended to stand down from the BRC, a board he joined when elected to the then Queensland Turf Club in 1998, and on Thursday his fellow committee members paid tribute to the administrator.
“Neville Bell will be remembered as one of the great chairmen in the rich history of the BRC and our predecessors,” Morrison said.
“He has led the BRC through what is arguably the greatest transformation of any race club in Australia.
“On behalf of all BRC members, I would like to thank Neville for his service and wish him and his wife Mary a very happy retirement. We look forward to seeing them trackside.”
Bell is credited with being a prominent figure in the BRC diversification into other business interests such as licensed clubs, retail and commercial property developments.
“I’m grateful for the support of so many good people over the years but, quite simply, the time was right for me to step down,” Bell said in a statement.
“I’m thrilled for Richard and Terry. I very much look forward to watching them and their team of directors and our wonderful staff take the BRC into the future.
“It’s almost head-spinning to think back to 1998 when I joined the board of the QTC. That was before the rise of corporate bookmakers, online betting and social media. How times have changed.”
Bell’s retirement continues the significant changes in key personnel at the BRC, which appointed wagering and media identity Karl deKroo as its new CEO last October. He replaced Tony Partridge, while the club also has a new general manager of property.
A contested BRC board election was also conducted in October, where board incumbents Jennifer Creaton, Curt Schatz and Steve Gagel were returned.
Tim Rowe
deKroo also recognised Bell’s contribution to the BRC and racing in South East Queensland.
“Neville Bell has been one of the most successful racing administrators in modern times and we’re indebted to his dedication, vision and to the manner in which he has led the BRC for many years,” deKroo said.
“Eagle Farm’s infield stabling complex, which was funded by the BRC, is a world leader and showcases how racing remains at the heart of a transformed club.”
Bell’s replacement Morrison, a racehorse owner and breeder who resides in the Hendra area close to Doomben and Eagle Farm, is an experienced businessman in the commercial property, agency and development sector.
The official acknowledgement of Bell’s retirement comes just a week after Racing Queensland CEO Jason Scott announced his resignation after leading the principal racing authority for two years.
He is expected to finish up at RQ in the middle of the year.
