Stalwarts: Country Racing Victoria representative Gary Buckley (left) made presentations to newly inducted Gunbower Racing Club life members Mick Farrant (centre left) and Melissa Farrant (centre right) with club president Vicky McGillivray overseeing the ceremony. Photo: Supplied
Gunbower Racing Club finally had the opportunity to bestow stalwarts Mick and Melissa Farrant with life memberships on the evening of March 1.
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Mick joined the Gunbower Racing Club committee in 2002 when he and Melissa moved back to Gunbower from Cohuna.
He was elected president from 2010 until 2014 before ill health forced him to take two years off.
Mick was re-elected again, serving from 2017 to 2022 where circumstances again forced him to step away to concentrate on his farming business which was severely damaged by flooding.
While Mick always joked that he runs a dictatorship, he is always the first person to put his own hand up to get a job done and sets a hard-working precedent for anyone else working alongside him.
Mick is always using his own machinery to complete any track works and one will be hard-pressed to find a more knowledgeable (and some might say stubborn) person in the racing industry than Mick.
Mick's greatest projects at the club have been the new bookmaker's ring, even though there was some very heated discussion when current president Vicky McGillivray told him he wasn't having his favourite heritage red-coloured roof.
Mick implemented new irrigation system which has ensured the club has a perfect track for years to come, and also installed the magnificent gate entrance.
Mick is an owner and trainer in his own right with many winners, and he has just taken on his biggest training role to date — training the Gunbower Racing Club committee-owned horse Quebella.
The Gunbower Racing Club and the wider community as a whole are very fortunate to have someone so dedicated and passionate to a cause and the committee has benefited greatly from his leadership and sheer hard work.
Life member: Mick Farrant with the Gunbower Cup. Photo: Cath Grey
Photo by
Cath Grey
The club’s second life membership was awarded to a very deserving First Lady of racing, Melissa Farrant, who was described as most definitely the beauty and, some would say, also brains in the partnership.
Melissa is certainly no stranger to Gunbower Racing Club and her association with the club stretches back to when she was a young girl following her dad, previous president and life member Jack Rowlands, around the racecourse from a very young age.
Melissa was in charge of selling the race books on race day and also chief grounds cleaner on Sunday following the races.
Melissa has worked tirelessly behind the scenes, especially while Mick has held the president's role.
She has held the role of accounts payable member and in the past few years took on the running and decorating of the Big Green Shed.
GRC had huge interest in her local artists’ campaign that was meant to run on the 2022 race day and the club will be holding Melissa to organise that in 2023.
Melissa can be seen anywhere and everywhere on race day — one minute she’s lunching in the president’s marquee and the next she’s restocking toilet paper in the ladies' toilets.
She would be helping the Anglican Ladies Guild in the kitchen, then she would be running errands for anyone that asked for her help.
Melissa has never said no to any job and takes on any task that is needed to make race day a success.
GRC thanks Melissa for her many years of hard work both under the leadership of her dad Jack and more recently husband Mick.
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