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Kanga claimed the MRC members had been continually ignored over their opposition to the club’s new $60 million mounting yard facility at Caulfield Racecourse, as well as plans to demolish the Rupert Clarke grandstand, and the sale of the 112-hectare Sandown Racecourse for housing development.
Melbourne Racing Club committee members Alison Saville (left) and Caitrin Kelly.Credit: Eddie Jim, Simon Schluter
He created a group called Save Our MRC and called for the removal of board members Cain, Pratt, Nick Hassett, Brooke Dawson and Scott Davidson at a special general meeting.
MRC committee members Alison Saville and Caitrin Kelly then released a statement saying they were joining Kanga’s Save Our MRC movement, just five days after signing an MRC statement criticising his actions.
In explaining their backflip, Saville and Kelly said they felt pressured into signing the MRC committee joint statement at short notice and regretted the decision.
An artist’s impression of how a new grandstand could work with the new mounting yard at Caulfield.
“We consider that there is a longstanding poor culture and toxic atmosphere within the MRC executive committee ...,” the pair said.
“We have resolved not to let this continue and to stand up against it.”
It was reported on Saturday that Pratt, who is stepping down from the board, has issued a formal concerns notice to Kelly and Saville, saying he will start defamation action against the pair “as soon as the offer to make amends period has elapsed”.
Kanga’s push for an SGM is now most likely to be delayed until after the AGM.
But if Cain and Pratt are replaced by Save Sandown candidates in the coming election, it would further strengthen Kanga’s hand as eight of the 10 MRC board members would oppose Sandown being sold for housing development.
The election comes as the state government-appointed Sandown Racecourse Advisory Committee begins to wind up its open hearing on the proposed rezoning and redevelopment of the racecourse land.
The hearing will end on Monday, and the advisory committee will then prepare a report for state planning minister Sonya Kilkenny.
The sale of Sandown has to be put to the members’ vote and cannot be decided by the board.
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