Take two: Garry Armstrong's back at Echuca Racing Club

But despite conditions, the sandy course is still a hot spot of racing, holding 33 meetings in 2019.

‘New’ Echuca Racing Club general manager Garry Armstrong spent two years there running the strangely-named club, which he described as being an industry almost entirely in a bubble.

“Everyone was a local of some sort – jockeys, trainers, stewards and vets – basically everyone lived in town. You were running events with the same people almost every week. Occasionally you’d have a trainer or horse come down from Darwin to take part in an event, but really it was just the town’s racing community.

“We didn’t have the luxury which comes in country Victoria. If someone needs to transfer a meeting or borrow equipment down here, it’s a drive for an hour or two at most. If we needed something in Alice, it was a 15-hour drive to Darwin – or a 13-hour dash to Port Augusta in South Australia.

“But I have nothing but good memories there. It was a fantastic experience and one for which I am really grateful.”

But now, it’s time to come home – and what’s old is new again for his career.

Armstrong, who was ERC general manager from 2008-2012, is once again in charge.

And he’s excited to be back where he belongs.

“It feels really comfortable,” he said.

“Seeing the club in such a healthy state is fantastic, so I’m really looking forward to getting back into things.”

It reignites a long association, which began when he sat on the club’s committee in the late 1980s.

Since his first association he has seen ERC grow from a small country track to one of the most highly acclaimed in the state, recognised most recently as bet365 Country Racing Victoria Club of the Year in 2017/18.

“I first joined in 1988,” he said.

“When I started, we had four meetings a year, and the facilities reflected it. We still had an old wooden bar, the jockey’s rooms weren’t of great standard. There were also very limited public facilities.

“It’s the thing that’s changed the most in my time around the racing club. When you go out there now, you see how good the amenities are for racegoers and participants, it’s outstanding.

“The work that has been put in during the past 10-15 years is really paying dividends. The club is in a strong position, with an active and hard-working committee, strong staff and bright future. Great results have been achieved, with plenty still to do.”

It is an association which has been motivated by a love of the sport of kings. For Armstrong, racing has been his passion as long as he can remember – not just on committees, but as a spectator and owner too.

“I’ve been a long-time part owner of racehorses and having been lucky enough to have tasted the thrill and excitement of winning,” he said.

“Thoroughbred racing will give you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, it’s a complete emotional journey. The anticipation of heading off to the races as a spectator and being a live chance to win is a great feeling, it’s a great day out and being able to share this with other owners is a special occasion.”

But there is more on the Armstrong CV than he is prepared to roll out when talking about his new role.

Such as his work with Moama RSL at some of its biggest events, including the centenary of Anzac Day in 2015 when he went above and beyond the call of duty to bring the Camp Gallipoli experience to the twin towns.

It saw hundreds of people spend the night of April 24 literally camped out at the club, part of a show on a big screen and on a stage, which created a haunting atmosphere to celebrate this incredibly significant moment in the Australian story.

The next morning the participants joined hundreds more for an emotional Dawn Service at the Moama Cenotaph, followed by the traditional Gunfire Breakfast.

Fast forward to 2020 and he is back in town and back in charge at ERC, where he says there is still work to be done to make the club – and the racing industry – even better. “One thing race clubs can do better is telling the good story,” he said.

“There are a lot of fantastic things our clubs and industry at large are able to do, especially in the way we can assist within the wider community, providing support for many different groups and the like.

“The industry is a massive employer of people who love the sport and are passionate about making it the best it can be in every possible sense, from the way our horses are treated and looked after through to what is presented to the punter on the day of an event.

“We’ve all seen and heard the horror stories – like most industries there are people in racing we would prefer weren’t – but there are so many positives that are rarely spoken of.

“You just need to look at the way our industry supported the Buchan Cup in the wake of the Gippsland bushfires in the past few weeks, and the same case at Kangaroo Island recently as well.

“We are a big family in the racing industry, but sometimes I think we don’t do enough to promote the great things we have done, and I hope to see that change.”

And he knows about the positives the racing club brings, not only for the industry but the Echuca-Moama community in general.

“It’s important the ERC is a strong part of the Echuca-Moama economy, increases its local profile and has strong ties within the community,” he said.

“Our venue is an attractive place to visit and an easy one to enjoy. Our members are well catered for and an ERC membership is something well worth having.”

The Echuca Cup on March 8 will hopefully be the first of many big events in Armstrong’s newest tenure at the top of the club he has helped to build, back on a weekend he desperately wants racing to own.

“Moving the cup back to the long weekend has given it a special meaning,” he said.

“When people come to Echuca on the long weekend in March, they have come to embrace it as cup weekend. It’s a lot better than when I was there eight years ago, we were still fighting for people to embrace it as cup weekend.

“Now it is a significant day, so it’s a matter of continuing to build on that. We want this to be one of the premier country cup events.

“The boost in prize money is a fantastic start. Having a $100,000 cup is great and will hopefully see a lift in quality of competitors and an increase in the field size which further improves the spectacle.”

But Armstrong is already looking for ways to make it a $125,000 or $150,000 race – and beyond. When he pulls that off it will be an impressive new line in the Armstrong story and in the years to come a legacy from which the whole industry will benefit.