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H E GOGGIN

Mr Harold Edward Goggin, who died suddenly in Christchurch last week, was secretary for the three Christchurch Trotting Clubs - NZ Metropolitan, Canterbury Park and New Brighton. Mr Goggin was 62.

A long association with trotting for Mr Goggin began when, as a lad of 14, he joined the staff of the Canterbury, Lancaster Park and Heathcote Trotting Clubs. That was in 1904. Apart from three years overseas service in World War I, Mr Goggin has always been on the staff of the Christchurch trotting clubs. He was appointed secretary on the death of Mr A I Rattray in 1941. Just prior to that he had been totalisator manager for about two years.

The smooth running of Christchurch trotting meetings was no accident - Mr Goggin was recognised throughout the Dominion as a most able secretary and a master of detail. A few years ago he inaugurated a conference of trotting club secretaries and these conferences achieved their best results when held in Christchurch.

In his younger days Mr Goggin was a top-ranking player for the Linwood Tennis Club. In later years he played bowls and for a term was president of the Fendalton Bowling Club, of which he was a foundation member. He had previously served for a short time as secretary of the Christchurch Bowling Club. Mr Goggin was a keen supporter and good friend of the Metropolitan Light Harness Sports Club and took an active part in many of its activities.

Mr Goggin contributed a number of articles on trotting to different papers and publications, including the NZ Trotting Calendar, 'The NZ Turf,' an historical review on racing, trotting and breeding as an industry, compiled by E G Sutherland, of Auckland, and 'Pillars of Harness Horsedom,' for which he wrote an appreciation of his late chief, Mr A I Rattray. He was a Past Master of the St Augustine Masonic Lodge.

The funeral was a very large one and floral tributes, numbering more than 100, came from all parts of the Dominion. The service at the graveside was conducted by the Rev L A Barnes, and the Christchurch RSA paid tribute to "a good soldier and citizen and a fine sportsman." The pall-bearers were Messrs C E Hoy (NZ Metropolitan TC), C S Peate (Canterbury Park TC), A G Jamieson (New Brighton TC), and D C Parker (assistant-secretary to Mr Goggin), and Mr H Rennie and W Buckeridge (members of the Fendalton Bowling Club). Mr Goggin is survived by his widow and their daughter, Mrs G Devore, of Wellington.



Credit: NZ Trotting Calendar 17Dec52

DES PARKER - NZMTC Secretary/Manager

Des Parker was associated with the Met for nearly 50 years and the Secretary/Manager from 1952 until his retirement in 1979. During that time he guided the club ably through a series of innovations and adjustments unknown in earlier eras.

He joined the Met in 1938 as a clerk under Andrew Rattray and his assistant, Harold Goggin, who succeeded Rattray in 1941 until his sudden death in 1952. Parker worked as a tote operator at the first New Zealand InterDominion in 1938 and retired at the end of organising the fifth Series held on the track, all hugely successful. During his time came several Royal visits including the most significant one by the young Queen and Duke in 1954 a test for the new Secretary which he passed with flying colours.

Major rebuilds, night trotting, the purchase of the Addington grounds previously leased, the adaption of caterers to reflect a new audience were just a few areas where he showed great competence. Few presidents had the appetite for a fight with Des Parker over some proposed change when he had reservations but few wanted to anyway. Aided by his "man's man" image he welcomed innovation but had a practical, realistic approach to his limits and woe betide the proposer, inside the office or out who had not prepared a very solid case for change.

Parker enjoyed racing but he was primarily an administrator and this gave balance to some of the more unwise proposals over the years. When he retired he was made a life member of all three clubs racing at Addington, only the second man in history to have that honour. He departed before the real start of the computer age and it would be fair to say he was the last of the great office administrators from the simpler "golden age".

Credit: David McCarthy writing in Harnessed Aug 2016

Andrew Rattray

MR A I RATTRAY

The following appreciation of Mr A Rattray was written by Mr H E Goggin and is reproduced here unabridged:-

Mr Andrew Innes Rattray, who died in August 1941, in his 87th year, was aptly called the "Father of Trotting". The energy, time and thought he put into the sport was amazing. In many walks of life men are found who are unique in a particular way. Just such a man was the late Mr Rattray in regard to trotting. He was a unque character.

I joined him in August 1904, as a lad of 14, he having had only one previous assistant who started 18 months earlier. The clubs had just moved their office from Duncan's Buildings - now known as Church House - to new offices in Tonks Norton's Buildings, Hereford Street, Christchurch. Mr Rattray rode a bicycle and one of my first remembrances was of it having been stolen from outside the office and being sold to a dealer, and of Mr Rattray going for the dealer for its recovery. He eventually got it back, but never rode it again.

Mr Rattray was born in Scotland and came to New Zealand at an early age. He always had a keen partiality for horseflesh, and his trips from Avonside to West Christchurch School and back were made in a dog cart, and many a race he had on the roadside with other embryo sportsmen. Later on he owned the trotters Cleveland and Bloxwich, and won races with them at Heathcote.

His first position was to represent Matheson's Agency, a big firm of merchants and woolbrokers. Subsequently, for 10 years, he was a member of the Bank of New Zealand staff, rising to take charge of the Bills Department. The commercial education he received there stood to him in later years. After leaving the bank in 1887 he took over the secretaryship of the Lower Heathcote Racing Club, a position that had previously been held by Messrs Scott and Bamford. At that time nominations and acceptances were taken at the Empire Hotel, and the totalisator met with such strong opposition from bookmakers that £500 ($1,000) was considered a good day's turnover. This club later became a trotting club and closed down in 1893.

The Canterbury Trotting Club, which raced on the Show-grounds was formed in 1888, and Mr Rattray was appointed secretary and joint handicapper with Mr H Piper. Subsequently this club merged with the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club. Besides the NZMTC, Canterbury Park Trotting Club and New Brighton Trotting Club, Mr Rattray was also secretary of the Christchurch Racing Club, which raced three days a year on the CPTC's course at Sockburn, and ran six galloping and two trotting events. This Club was abolished by the Racing Commission of 1910.

Mr Rattray was also the first secretary of the New Zealand Trotting Association, which was formed in 1888, and did great service in framing the rules and stamping out ringing-in, which was prevalent in those days. He often told me that on many occasions he travelled to Lyttelton by a 5am goods train to inspect horses arriving and departing. So persevering was he in trying to stamp out ringing-in that the wrongdoers soon came to the conclusion that the game was not worth the candle. The Association was also active in investigating the affairs of clubs run by proprietary interests, of which there were a number.

Up to the early 90's there was a dead set against what was then known as "the poor man's sport," emanating chiefly from racing club officials. This enmity, combined with early mismanagement, was solid hinderance to trotting, and those controlling the clubs had a keen uphill fight for many years. Their first great effort was to obtain Government recognition of the NZTA, and it was mainly due to the efforts of Messrs Rattray, Mace and McIlraith, that this was brought about in 1891.

Another matter of which he saw the evil was the danger of the sport being overdone. Prior to 1891 unlimited totalisator permits could be obtained, and through his agency a rule was passed whereby no club could hold more than four meetings in one season. The abolition of bookmakers from racecourses was another matter for which he fought hard. I have seen the racecourse detective take a man into the secretary's office on the course and a scuffle take place as he was searched for evidence of betting, which, if found, always led to prosecution. Because of Mr Rattray's desire to clear the courses of bookmakers, the local trotting clubs were more insistent upon prosecuting them than racing clubs throughout the country. After a lot of hard fighting for many years the present regulations regarding bookmakers were framed. Telegraphing of betting to racecourses, which was in vogue for many years, was another matter he fought against, he being strongly of the opinion that betting should be confined to the racecourse.

He worked hard and put boundless energy into getting the horses out on to the track. He realised that the public would not start to bet until they had seen the horses, and in those days the clubs required all the finance they could get. He frequently went to the saddling paddock and spoke sharply to the clerk of the course for not having them out, and even went around the horse-boxes urging the drivers to hurry into the bircage. Mr Rattray carried on with this work until shortly after the Great War, when the meetings had grown to such proportions that he asked to be relieved of it, and the late Mr J C Clarkson was appointed birdcage steward for the NZMTC. After working hard to bring about these reforms it was natural he should express strong views on them in later years in order to maintain them.

Mr Rattray did not always confine himself to secretarial work. In addition, he did handicapping for several years, and at odd times acted as timekepper and starter. I well remember as a youth assisting him to start at a Canterbury Park meeting at Sockburn, when the starter, Mr H Reynolds, was unable to attend, my job being, at a signal from him, to pull out the lever to set the starting clock in motion.

An incident which I vividly recall, happened during the running of a meeting by the Christchurch Racing Club. The third race had just been run when the news arrived of the death of King Edward VII. The stewards met and decided to abandon the meeting out of respect to such a great sportsman. The outside crowd and others from inside then swarmed into the secretary's office and demanded the return of their three and six pence (35c) entrance money (many had only paid 1/- (10c)). I can see Mr Rattray now, stretching himself up behind the small table, which was his desk, and defying the menacing crowd and telling them they would not get it. It was necessary to wait some time before we could leave the course with our cash.

Mr Rattray had tremendous faith in the future of trotting and backed it up in every way. At one stage, when the Addington grounds were being laid out the club had spent all their available cash and had not sufficient to pay the men working there. For some time this was paid by Mr Rattray himself, who visited the grounds every Saturday afternoon for that purpose. On another occasion, when he wanted a job done better than the committee intended to do it, because of lack of funds, he offered, anonymously, a loan of the necessary amount, free of interest, and this was accepted.

He was an indefatigable worker. Hours meant nothing to him. Originally nominations and acceptances closed at 11pm. This was altered to 10pm about the time I joined him, and the day for taking nominations was always Saturday. When the big alterations took place at the course in 1910 he spent hours there with Mr Syd Luttrel superintending them, and also with Mr Alf Luttrell in the office going through plans, etc.

I think one of his greatest virtues was his loyalty. He was intensly loyal to his clubs, and was always out to create such a standard for them in dignity and prestige that anything which did not measure up 100% in his opinion was scorned. Again, he was always loyal to his staff, particularly those who played the game. I remember an incident some years ago where a steward of one of the clubs had come without his ticket and the gateman refused to pass him in. An infuriated official then demanded of Mr Rattray that the gateman be sacked. The reply he got was "that man is carrying out his instructions; if he goes, I go."

When I went into camp in World War I, he told me he would not allow anyone to replace me, and for the three years I was away he carried on alone - an action I deeply appreciated. He was a stern disciplinarian, but beneath his brusqueness was a kindly heart and a geniality which won him great respect. His memory will live for a long time.


Credit: Pillars of Harness Horsedom: Karl Scott

The Lancaster Park Trotting Club which held its first Meeting on 15th May 1886 had for its Secretary Charles J Penfold who acted as Honorary Secretary and Treasurer until 1887. He was followed by Mr A M Ollivier, grandfather of a President of the Club, Mr W M Ollivier, and he acted as Secretary from 1887 to 1889.

Mr W P Brook, who had a short term as Secretary from 1889 to 1890 was charged and found guilty of embezzlement from the Christchurch Saleyards Company of which he was also the Secretary. He received two years’ hard labour. Following Mr Brook’s dismissal Mr A I Rattray was appointed to the position.

The Club which then raced at Lancaster Park, the new Amateur Trotting Club, had for its Secretary Mr J A Connell who resigned in April 1895. Mr A I Rattray was appointed Secretary of the Amateur Trotting Club and this was the start of his long association with the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club. When the Canterbury Trotting Club and the NZMTC finally amalgamated Mr A I Rattray was appointed Secretary of the amalgamated Clubs as from 1st January 1901.

During its first 80 years the NZMTC was served by only three Secretaries. The first, Mr A I (Andrew) Rattray was Secretary from 1899 to 1941, just over 42 years; Mr H E (Harold) Goggin from 1941 to 1952, just in excess of 11 years; and Mr D C (Desmond) Parker from 1953 to 1979, over 26 years.

Mr A I Rattray who was aptly called ‘the Father of Trotting’ was born in 1855 and died in August 1941 following a short illness. At the time of his death he was still regarded as an outstanding personality dedicated to Trotting. Mr Rattray was a member of the staff of the Bank of New Zealand and in 1887 took over the Secretaryship of the Lower Heathcote Racing Club. He became associated with Trotting administration in 1888 when he was appointed Secretary to the newly formed Canterbury Trotting Club which was to race at the new Agricultural and Pastoral Showgrounds. In 1890 he was appointed Secretary of the Lancaster Park Trotting Club (a Proprietary Club) a position he held until 1893 when the Club ceased to race. Following the formation of the Lancaster Park Amateur Trotting Club and on the retirement of Mr Connell, Mr Rattray became Secretary and continued as such until the Club became the NZMTC in 1899. Mr Rattray was also Secretary of the Canterbury and New Brighton Trotting Clubs and Secretary of the Christchurch Racing Club which raced at Sockburn. This latter Club was abolished by the Racing Commission in 1910. In January 1893 Mr Rattray became Secretary to the Plumpton Park Club which raced at Sockburn and was later to become the Canterbury Park Trotting Club.

Mr Rattray was also the first Secretary of the NZ Trotting Association which was formed in 1888 and performed many great services to the industry in framing the Rules of Trotting, campaigning for the stamping out of “ringing in” which was very prevalent in those days, and obtaining Government recognition of the NZ Trotting Association. He was always out to create for his Club such a standard in integrity and prestige that anything which did not measure up one hundred percent in his opinion was scorned. He was an indefatigable worker and put in long hours when required. Mr Rattray did not confine himself to Secretarial work, he acted as Handicapper for several years and at odd times was Timekeeper and Starter. Having tremendous faith in the future of Trotting he backed it in every way, even to the extent of making interest –free loans to the Club to carry out capital works. His loyalty to the Club and to the staff was one of his greatest virtues and on one occasion a Club Steward had come to the Course without his entrance tickets and the gateman refused him admission. The infuriated Official demanded of Mr Rattray that the gateman be sacked. The reply he received was “that man is carrying out his instructions, if he goes, I go”. Mr Rattray and the gateman stayed. Mr Rattray was a stern disciplinarian but beneath his brusqueness was a kindly heart and a geniality which won him great respect.

The second Secretary of the Club was Mr H E Goggin who was born in 1890 and died, in office, in December 1952. Mr Goggin started with Mr Rattray in August 1904 at the age of 14 and served as a Clerk until the end of 1938 when he was appointed to manage the Club’s totalisator operations. Mr Goggin continued as Totalisator Manager until Mr Rattray’s death in 1941 when he was appointed Secretary. Mr Goggin, who had not enjoyed the best of health, died suddenly at his home in December 1952. While he only served as Secretary for 11 years he had, in total, 48 years association with the NZMTC in various capacities, the only break in his term being the three years he served overseas with the New Zealand Forces during the First World War. While he was away his salary was made up by the Club and he was presented with a watch prior to his departure.

Mr Goggin was an extremely capable Secretary and his loyalty to his employers was without peer. Mr Goggin had journalistic leanings and whenever asked to write an article he was always ready to do so. He contributed an appreciation of Mr Andrew Innes Rattray which was published in “Pillars of Harness Horsedom”. His article on the NZMTC and its progress appeared in “The New Zealand Turf” compiled by E G Sutherland. Mr Goggin was a man of regular habits and one could almost set a watch by his arrival time at the office in Armagh Street. He would walk to work leading his bicycle and always arrived at five minutes to nine. It was his failure to do this on the morning following his death that made members of his staff realize that all was not well. Mr Goggin was well trained by Mr Rattray and continued with the high principles established by Mr Rattray in the administration of the Club.

In June 1948 the first Trotting Secretaries’ Conference was organized by Mr Goggin and held in Christchurch on 26th August, 1948. The Committee of the NZMTC agreed that they would defray all expenses incurred in conducting the Secretaries’ Conference which proved an unqualified success and was the first of a number of such Conferences.

The third Secretary was Mr D C Parker FCIS who was born in 1913 and commenced working for the Trotting Club under Mr A I Rattray as a Clerk in December 1938. On Mr Rattray’s death in August 1941, Mr Parker was appointed Assistant Secretary under Mr Goggin and following Mr Goggin’s death was appointed Secretary as from 1st January 1953, a position he held until he retired on the 31st March 1979 after just over 40 years association with the NZMTC. He left the staff in June of that year following the completion of all matters connected with the 1979 Inter Dominion Championship Meeting. Following his retirement he was elected an Honorary Life Member in July 1979 in recognition of his services to the Club and both the Canterbury Park and New Brighton Trotting Clubs elected him a Life Member I the same year. This was a signal honour as Mr Parker was only the second to be elected a Life Member of the three Addington Clubs. During Mr Parker’s Secretaryship, Mr J Rowley was Assistant Secretary from 1953 to 1960 when he resigned to take up a position with the NZ Trotting Conference. He was appointed Secretary to the Conference in 1961 and in 1979 his position was changed to that of Chief Executive Officer. Mr Rowley still holds this position.

Mr Parker went into the Army on 19th March 1942 serving in the Home Forces for over 2½ years and during his absence his salary was made up by the Clubs and on leaving the Army he was re-appointed to his original position of Assistant Secretary.

During Mr Parker’s association with the Club a number of major events took place. As a casual totalisator employee he worked as a payout during the running of the 1938

Inter Dominion Championships. He was Assistant Secretary to Mr Goggin when the Club conducted the 1951 Inter Dominion Championships.

His term as Secretary was, to say the least, an eventful one. In 1954 the Club conducted the Royal Meeting, the first at which a reigning Monarch was present. On Show Day 1954, following the last race, the main outside Grandstand was destroyed by fire and the strong Nor’ Westerly carried the fire to the Showgrounds where some of their horse stalls were lost. In 1961 the Inter Dominion Championships were held at Addington and in November 1961, again on Show Day under Nor’ Westerly conditions, the main inside Public Grandstand was burnt down delaying the running of the last race for at least half an hour. On Cup Day 1963 the new Public Stand was opened and the inaugural night trotting meeting was held in the following week on Wednesday, 20th November. In 1966 the Queen Mother attended a Meeting charming all those fortunate enough to be presented to her. In 1977 Her Majesty The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh again were present at a Royal Meeting at Addington and in 1979 the Club conducted the Inter Dominion Championships for the fifth time. Other events of note which occurred during his term of Office were the introduction of the low running rail; the introduction of the Infield Indicator; the conversion of the Track lighting from incandescent to multi-vapour; the introduction of closed circuit television initially providing dividend indication throughout the stands in black and white, later adding a closed circuit in colour showing the races live and on replay; TV cameras also covering the Main Indicator and Infield Indicator; the building of a new Office block on the Course and the negotiations with the Ministry of Works and the start of the Motorway across the car parks and the replanning of those areas.

The fourth Secretary of the Club, Mr T H Davis, was born in 1924 and joined the staff in August 1960 as Assistant to Mr Parker. In June 1970 Mr Davis was appointed Racing Secretary, a position he filled most ably and on Mr Parker’s retirement he was appointed Secretary/ Manager as from 1st April 1979. Since Mr Davis’ appointment the pattern of development and change has continued. The major project has been the successful purchase of the Course by Addington Raceway Ltd; the establishment of the Integrated On and Off-Course Pay/Sell betting system; the sale of a section of the newly acquired land to the Totalisator Agency Board for the erection of the South Island Control Centre; the conversion of all heating from gas to electricity; the computerization of the accounts and Membership list and other major projects are in th pipeline.

A further major and probably the largest project during Mr Davis’ term was the demolition of the Stewards and Members Stand built in 1916 and its replacement in two stages by a new stand, with Stage One being nearly completed and operable for the Cup Meeting 1989. Mr Davis retired as from 30 November 1989.

Mr A J Lye was born in July 1947 and following an advertisement for anAssistant to the Totalisator Manager he was appointed to that position in October 1973. After two years in the Totalisator Department, at his request he was transferred to the Administration staff. In August 1978 the joint emergency committee considered the appointment of Mr Lye as Assistant Racing Secretary and this was approved and took effect as from the 1st of September 1978. He was appointed Racing Secretary in 1986. It was decided in August that as the Secretary/ Manager, Mr D C Parker would be fully committed to the Inter Dominion Championships Mr Davis be appointed instead as Secretary to Addington Raceway Ltd from the 1st August 1978, and Mr P J Roulston be appointed Assistant Secretary. The latter resigned from the administration staff shortly after the 1979 Championships.

In July 1985 the NZ Trotting Conference advised that the Executive had not agreed to relinquish Mr May to act in a casual capacity as this Club’s Promotions Officer during the period leading up to the 1987 Inter Dominion Championships. A sub-committee appointed to consider the matter recommended that a job specification and an advertisement be prepared for the position of Promotions Officer as early as possible. This was done through Knight Consultants who were asked to screen all initial applications. The successful applicant was Mr Barry Johnson formerly Assistant Secretary to the Canterbury A & P Association who was appointed Publicity Officer and commenced his duties on the 30th September 1985.

The fifth Secretary was Mr M R Godber who was born in 1953. Being selected from a number of applicants and previously employed as Secretary to the NZ Racing Authority for six years he commenced his duties as Chief Executive Officer as from 28th August 1989.



Credit: NZMTC: Historical Notes compiled by D C Parker

Appendix No. Four: SECRETARIES/ CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Lancaster Park Trotting Club (Ceased to Race 1893)

1886-87 C J Penfold

1887-89 A M Ollivier

1889-90 W P Brook

1890-93 A I Rattray

Lancaster Park Amateur Trotting Club

1893-95 J A Connell

1895-99 A I Rattray

New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club (Addington)

1899-1941 A I Rattray

1941-52 H E Goggin

1953-79 D C Parker

1979-89 T H Davis

1989-2008 M R Godber

2009-11 S M Gloury

2011-17 D A McKenzie

2017- P W Jensen