The Parkes trotting industry’s most well-known family, the Dumesnys with Stan and Nancy in front with their five children John, Tony, Janene, Craig and Bruce.
It is hard not to mention the Dumesny family when talking about harness racing in Parkes and the Central West.
“I guess you could say harness racing runs in our blood,” said Craig Dumesny talking to The Parkes Phoenix after his family received the Long Service and Dedication Award on Australia Day last month for their decades-long contribution to the sport. “It was nice to get it as a joint award as we’ve all put a lot into harness racing.”
The dynasty began with William Dumesny, Craig’s grandfather, when he established the Ruby Vale breeding stud at Alectown in 1943, after he was a driving force in establishing trotting in 1912 in Parkes. Craig’s father and mother, Stan and Nancy, took over the reins before handing them on to one of their five children, Tony.
Stan, Nancy and Tony were recognised last year by Harness Racing NSW for their outstanding contribution to breeding. At the ceremony they were acknowledged for breeding winners well into the hundreds. “Rarely does a week go past when a winner somewhere in NSW was not bred by the family,” said Peter Nugent of Harness Racing NSW. “This recognition is a very well deserved for the Parkes trotting industry’s most well-known surname.”
“My father was all work, he did not like the fact that we wanted to play other sports,” said Craig of Stan, who passed away in November last year at the age of 88. “We worked very hard on the farm.”
In Ruby Vale’s peak, they not only had 358 mares, but 3,000 head of sheep and some crop. “We did not have regular staff. It was only my dad, his brother Uncle Joe and Tony, while the rest of us worked on weekends,” said Craig. The horses always needed work, so we hardly ever went on family holidays.
It was also Craig’s grandfather who started the family’s tradition of serving on the harness racing committee in Parkes when he joined it in 1949. Under his leadership Parkes became the first country track this side of the Blue Mountains to have night trotting with lights in 1953.
“Dad went on the committee around 1960s, and he encouraged us to be involved, so I went on in 1977, and ended up being the youngest president and the youngest to be awarded life membership,” said Craig, who was also secretary for the Dubbo club until his father fell ill late last year, and became a board member again in Parkes at the recent AGM.
Just like his father, Craig has been very generous with his time in serving Rugby League too and is still running the junior and senior canteens.
John also took on the administration side and has had a long and distinguished career in Harness Racing. He commenced with the NSW Harness Racing Club in 1988. He has been Chief Executive Officer of the NSW Harness Racing Club since 2004, prior to that he was the Racing Manager from 1988 to 2004.
The next generation is carrying on the bloodline with Craig’s son Michael making a name as a race caller, not only in harness racing but other racing sports including the gallopers and dogs at a growing list of venues around NSW. Michael also writes almost daily columns in the Daily Telegraph and is often interviewed for all things racing.
The Dumesny roots in the Parkes harness racing industry are very deep, and Tony summed this passion up when he said: “It’s the horses, they are such beautiful animals – that’s what keep us all in the industry.”
By Maggi Barnard