With the track undergoing its annual maintenance (more details here), we’re taking this opportunity to lift the curtain on our hardworking team. Some faces will be front and center, while others work behind the scenes, but every single one of them plays an invaluable role at Rotorua Racing Club.
Anne Squires is the Office Manager at Rotorua Racing Club, combining her accounting background with the management and planning of Rotorua’s racedays. Anne's journey into the racing world might surprise some, but her passion and dedication to making each race day run smoothly speak for themselves. Here's an inside look at Anne's role, her experiences in the racing industry, and some fun insights into what goes on behind the scenes at Rotorua Racing Club.
For Anne, the world of horse racing wasn't always the plan. Initially working for an accounting firm, she found the role somewhat lacking which prompted her to seek a job that offered more variety and personal engagement. When the opportunity to work at Rotorua Racing Club arose, she jumped at the chance.
"Working for an accounting firm was becoming too dehumanising, so I looked for a more varied job, and this one came up," she shares. The rest, as they say, is history.
As the sole charge Office Manager, Anne's days are anything but dull. While her responsibilities include the usual office management tasks—correspondence, payroll, accounting, and liaising with both the boss and staff—there’s a unique twist to her role. The "product" she works with isn’t just any service; it’s horse racing – a world that Anne only entered into upon commencing her tenure with RRC.
This means she is also involved in the planning, staffing, catering, and coordination for racedays and trial days. It’s a job that demands attention to detail, a love for variety, and an understanding of the intricacies that make racing at Rotorua so special.
Though Anne is fully entrenched in the racing world now, her first experience at the track was quite memorable. "The first (and only) time I had come to the races was at Rotorua, and a horse named Polly was misbehaving at the start gates. I thought she might be worth a bet, though I didn’t. She won the race – must have been in a hurry to get it over and done with," she recalls with a smile.
When asked who her racing hero is, Anne is quick to say her boss, Damien Radesic, GM of Rotorua Racing Club. She was equally quick to name herself as the funniest person in the office so do with that information what you will!
A day at the races isn’t just about horses and jockeys. Behind every successful event is a dedicated team of people working tirelessly to ensure everything runs smoothly and it’s those ‘behind the scenes’ tasks and people that Anne highlights as something people probably don’t know about the races. From TAB TV crews to security, trainers, and handlers – they may only work at Rotorua 8/9 times a year but they are integral to each days’ success.
When asked what she’d like the public to know about her job or the racing industry, Anne highlights just how many different skill sets are needed to produce a race day. "So many different skill sets are required," she notes, emphasising the teamwork that makes it all possible.
Working at Rotorua Racing Club comes with its own unique set of challenges. Did you know that the region's sulphurous atmosphere can affect the technology used during race days, particularly the wiring and screens for sound systems. It’s a quirky challenge that requires extra attention to detail to ensure everything runs smoothly.
(Editor’s note: Who knew?!)
To close things off, we had some fun with a rapid-fire round of questions!
- If you were a jockey, what song would you walk out to? "I Will Survive!" (Cue the lyrics: "First I was afraid, I was petrified…")
- If you weren’t in racing, what would you be doing? "Any small-office job. I enjoy knowing enough about the ‘product’ to be helpful without always distracting the specialist employees."
- Who’s your favourite racehorse/trainer/jockey? "Any jockey that acknowledges my 'thank you for coming' as they walk out at the end of the day."
- Who’s the funniest person you work with at the track? "Me?"
- What’s one thing you can’t leave home without on raceday? "Food and drink—otherwise, starvation saps my brainpower."
Anne is an integral part of the Rotorua Racing Club, and her passion for her work shines through in every aspect of her role. We’d be lost without her!