By Garry Howe
He may not have been as surprised as hoped, but Max Mitchell did feel honoured and humbled to join the ranks of Pakenham Racing Club life members at the big Guineas Day race meeting on Saturday.
Club officials had arranged a surprise presentation but then forgot to delete reference to it from the on-course screen presentation.
So when Max, his wife Lorraine and members of his family arrived at the track they were greeted with the news on the big screen.
“I did get a bit of a surprise, but probably not the one they were hoping for,” Max said, smiling.
Max said he was thrilled that the club chose to honour his contribution in that way.
“I am very proud,” he said.
“Besides having the kids and getting married, this would have to be the biggest highlight of my life.”
Club chairman Don Duffy made the presentation on behalf of the committee and members.
He said Max had been on the committee since 2002 – a 15-year stint – and had played a big role in the relocation from the old track at Pakenham to the new Racing.com Park complex at Tynong.
Don said Max served on the executive sub-committee and the relocation sub-committee which worked tirelessly over eight years to see the project to fruition.
“His contribution to the club has been extraordinary,” Don said.
“Max offered quiet, wise and considered counsel and his views were always sought by the committee and the management team.”
Max said he had “never regretted a minute here”.
“It has been a challenge from day one,” he said.
“They said it (the relocation to a new course) couldn’t be done and we proved them wrong. That gave us an enormous amount of satisfaction.”
He paid particular credit to George Dore for the assistance and strength he gave during the process – adding that Michael Hodge was “a wonderful CEO” and that president Don Duffy and his vice-president Simon Conn were first class.
“In this game you are judged on your performance and we are the best racing committee in Victoria,” Max said.
“You wouldn’t get a better one.”
During a lifetime of involvement with racing, Max has bred and raced a number of horses and, until recently, owned and ran the Nargoonar agistment property in Nar Nar Goon.
