The RJC honours the Acton Family.

The Rockhampton Jockey Club has renamed the Club’s public grandstand, “The Acton Stand” in recognition of the family’s long association with racing at Callaghan Park.

Two members of the Acton family Tom W. Acton MBE, and Tris P. Acton were on the RJC Committee in 1979 when the complex was officially dedicated to past RJC chairmen, Dr. John O’Duffy and Dr. James Gorman.

Club chairman Rob Carr said the RJC committee wanted to acknowledge the enormous contribution by the Acton family to racing in the central Queensland region, dating back to 1917 when Robert Acton drew Wilpeena, a 12,000-acre property, 150km west of Rockhampton, in a ballot.

The family started the Mackenzie River Amateur Picnic Races in 1926 with races conducted on a property north of Dingo called “Honeycombe” and later raced the Picnic’s at the family property. Racing was held there for decades and the Acton’s celebrated 100 years and five generations of CQ racing, at Wilpeena in 2017.

“The late Alan Acton, a life member of the RJC, was a fantastic contributor to local racing, and his wife Jennifer still is, racing and breeding thoroughbreds, while his grandfather, father, brothers and uncles have also played major roles in the shaping of the RJC and the Amateurs and racing in Central Queensland in general. “The entire family deserves to be recognised for their dedication to racing in our region,” Mr. Carr said.

The RJC is proud to be able to display the Acton family name on its property and has erected new signage on the grandstand this week, just in time for the Archer race day.

In the coming weeks the RJC committee will have an official opening of the stand with members of the Acton family in attendance.

The Committee and management of the RJC will unveil plans for this facility at the official opening.

By David Aldred

CEO- RJC