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PEOPLE

 

YEAR: 1985

PAT VENNING

Travel has always been a big interest for Pat Venning, the senior Totalisator Agency Board manager for the northern region of the South Island (on-course division), and his retirement from the position this week will allow more time to do just that. Pat and his wife Judith plan to travel to the United States, United Kingdom and Europe next year, but recently purchased a camper-van for their more immediate travel plans in NZ.
A Londoner by birth, Pat came to NZ in March, 1949. "I had been travelling around during the war and afterwards I could not settle at home, so I thought I would come out here," he said.

He worked as a Post Office technician before the war and for a short time afterwards, but took a job farming when he first arrived in NZ. He worked on a sheep farm in Central Otago for a time but a strong interest in athletics took him to Auckland in 1950 for the Empire Games. A keen runner who favoured 880 yard and mile events, but also enjoyed cross country, Pat competed at club level in the United Kingdom and ran for St Paul's Harriers in Otago when he worked there. Although he attended the Empire games as a spectator, he did get to run against some of the athletes who had competed in the Games when they toured NZ after the Games. "I did reasonably well," Pat said, "but I didn't win."

After the Empire Games visit to Auckland, Pat returned to the South Island and took a job with the Post Office in Invercargill, but because of his "English experience" he was soon transferred back to Auckland where he continued to work for the Post Office for some time before accepting a position with Control Systems NZ, on-course totalisator operators, in November, 1951. That was the beginning of what has been a long career working within the racing industry in totalisator administration.

Before joining Control Systems, Pat had only a minor interest in racing. "It was the technical side of the job which appealed to me," he said. He had attended a few race meetings in England, but had not been in NZ. "I went to the Derby meeting which most people in London seem to go to. Everything more or less stops," he added.

Back in the early 1950s most NZ racecourses apart from some metropolitan tracks, used a manual ticket system. The tickets were pre-stamped but racehorse numbers were handwritten on as the bets were taken. However, automatic totalisators were operating on a larger scale in Australia at this time and it wasn't long before an Australian opportunist - Mr J A McKay - decided to bring the NZ racing industry into the age of automation. He formed his own company here, Control Systems NZ, which used the imported English manufactured Bell Punch electro-mechanical equipment. Control Systems NZ was later taken over by the English totalisator manfacturing firm Bell Punch, who renamed the company Bell Punch NZ. But Bell Punch were manufacturers of totalisator equipment rather than operators and in 1965 they sold out to Automatic Totalisators, a Sydney-based company who changed the name "Bell Punch NZ" to Automatic Totalisators Ltd.

ATL went through until 1981, by which time they were the main on-course totalisator operators in NZ. But by this time racing and trotting clubs had given an undertaking to participate in a new computerised on-course totalisator system. The expensive new technology involved in the venture was beyond any one on-course totalisator operating company and only a few of the large metropolitan clubs had the financial strength to face up to the expensive future. So the TAB was asked to develop and operate the new computerised system on behalf of the clubs. The takeover was in July, 1981, and most racing, trotting and greyhound clubs in NZ now use TAB facilities on-course. Since the takeover there has been a gradual conversion away from the old electro-mechanical equipment, on-course, to the new computerised equipment. Last year saw the final operation of the electro-mechanical system purchased by the TAB from ATL in 1981.

Pat was South Island manager for ATL and, later on, also for the TAB prior to the introduction of the on-course computer equipment. When the new computer equipment was introduced, the TAB split New Zealand into regions for servicing arrangements and Pat was then appointed senior manager - northern region - for the South Island. His new appointment covered racemeetings in the Nelson to Waitaki area. He saw his job, on raceday, as that of "a general overseer," managing staff, handling customers queries and making sure everthing ran smoothly. "Everthing is monitored through a control van," Pat said. "We manage the staff on the day and are responsible for their work, but we don't pay their wages," Pat said.

The TAB also trained operators to use the new computerised equipment, and every operator was given the chance to participate in the retraining programme. "There was no age bar," Pat said. "All operators were put through the training programme." Some had found the new equipment more difficult to adjust to than others, but at the end of the programme that was not a consideration. If they made it through the course they retained their job. The new technology had meant big changes for punters and operators but, from a managerial position, Pat said that he had not found the computerised system difficult to adjust to. "You are still dealing with the public just the same," he said. "Selling is different. Operators are on their machines all day." Before the introduction of the computerised equipment, operators had "closed down" between races and "cashed up" each time. This meant operators were able to talk to one another during races. But under the new system this did not happen. "They don't cash up until the end of the day," Pat said. He felt that much of the "friendly atmosphere" encouraged by the old system had been lost since the introduction of computerised equipment. The new equipment was "right up to world standards" and had given on-course punters a much more streamlined service. "It is a speedier operation which saves people queuing up. Now they can do everything at one window," he added.

About three years after joining Control Systems, in Auckland, Pat was transferred back to the South Island when Bell Punch, his English employers, sent him to Christchurch to set up a South Island base for their company. He has remained in Christchurch since then and during more than 23 years of work within the totalisator administration and control, Pat has seen many changes in both on and off-course betting. But, putting aside the introduction of computerised equipment, the subsequent arrival of Jetbet and the major impact that has had, perhaps the most obvious change has been the modernisation and acceptance of on and off-course betting. The often dingy, back-street betting shops hidden away from the public gaze have apparently gone for good, replaced by bright, modern main street offices designed to attract attention and encourage new customers. The new swept-up image was a result of a change in public attitudes, Pat felt. People are becoming more liberal in their thinking. Things that were not discussed several years ago were talked about today. "It is just a question of public acceptance," Pat said.

Considering his work, Pat said he had "No regrets. I have had a very interesting time over the years and met a lot of nice interesting people. All the totalisator staff have been a good crowd to work with and it has been like one big happy family over the years."

Credit: Shelley Caldwell writing in NZ Trot Calendar 23Apr85



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