AFTER marrying into the greyhound industry in the late 1960s, Judi Hurley and her family, including grandchildren, have built an empire at their rearing establishment in Two Wells that the family hope will last for generations.
Judi, the matriarch of the whole-family operation along with her sister-in-law Kathy, said while the industry is demanding, it’s a very easy thing to fall in love with.
“It’s something that you can get into and that you really get satisfaction out of,” Judi said.
“When you breed your own pup, to getting them onto the track, it’s really a two-year process, so that sort of level of commitment.
“But when they race, it justifies everything you’ve done – all the late nights, the dramas, racing off to the vets – I think it’s really a lifestyle more than a job.”
After getting a hold of promising dog named Eudunda Eudunda, the Hurleys began breeding “Emerley” dogs, who have become ubiquitous across South Australia, led by Emerley Dryad with 27 wins and almost $40,000 in prize money.
“(This business) is a little bit like malaria,” Judi joked.
“It bites you, and then it keeps coming back. You think you’ve gotten out of it, but then you come back.
“The majority of them are what we call bread and butter dogs – they’re good enough to pay for their keep – but they’re definitely not money making machines, more like money costing machines.”
Judi reflected on how the industry has changed over the past 50 years, pointing out that in the early days women weren’t even allowed to take a dog to the starting boxes.
“It changed in the ’70s and ’80s when they became more aware, and now I think there are probably almost an equal number of females involved compared to males,” she said.
“It’s certainly still changing, especially with female involvement… I was the first female appointed to a racing board here in South Australia, and I’ve always felt supported.”
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