Richard Callander will step down as chief executive of the NSW Trainers’ Association at the end of the year after nearly six years in the role, chairman Richard Pegum has announced.
Racenet’s Adam Dobbin, writing for Fox Sports, reported the news on Sunday, with Pegum paying tribute to Callander’s five and a half years of service to the association and NSW trainers.
Talk of Callander’s looming resignation has been around since the middle of the year but was parked, to avoid disruption, after long-serving vice-chairman Michael Callanan stood down at the end of August, Dobbin reported.
Pegum said the search for a successor is well underway. “Richard has been great in providing significant lead in time to ensure a smooth transition,” he said.
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Pegum pays tribute
“The Board of the NSWTA and trainers throughout NSW, whether they are members of the Association or not, are grateful for the work ethic and passion Richard brought to the position,” Pegum said.
“Richard has served NSW trainers with distinction over his five plus years, through many challenging times, none more so than during COVID and the incredibly tough financial environment that ensued throughout the world.”
He also praised Callander’s work with Callanan and insurance agents Gow Gates on insurance policies in that period, and said Callander drove projects at race clubs with the support of Racing NSW, including having meetings moved or reprogrammed, barrier trials added and debts chased.
“It’s a difficult role and, in many cases a thankless job, but Richard has always strived to get a better deal for trainers, with owners being the lucky recipients of his tireless work,” Pegum said. “You can never please all the people all the time, but Richard has done a sterling job for NSW trainers and we say a big thank you.”
Callander: ‘It’s been an honour’
Callander said he had thoroughly enjoyed his time with the NSWTA and regarded representing the trainers as a genuine privilege. “It’s been an honour,” he said. “I didn’t always get my way or the desired result for a particular trainer, but I always did my best and did so in fighting for a fair and balanced racing industry.”
He thanked the board, led by Pegum and former vice-chairman Callanan, along with independent directors Christine Cook and James Roddy, “who devote many hours and their expertise to helping trainers in NSW, many of whom they have never met.”
Callander placed special emphasis on Callanan’s contribution. “Conservatively, Michael has provided legal services on a pro bono basis, valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, simply because he believed in helping the battling trainers,” he said. “I sincerely hope trainers recognise and appreciate the enormous contribution he has made to the industry.”
“The work he has done over the past six years has been extraordinary.”
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