Adrian Wren hangs up the shovel after 35 years on the track

Nov 10, 2020

As a boy, Carl McGrath remembers seeing Adrian Wren roll into Shepparton Showgrounds with a shovel in hand for the first time.

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It was 1985, What A Nuisance had won the Melbourne Cup and the Shepparton greyhound racing scene looked a fair bit different to what it does now.

Nowadays the action unfolds on the pristine track at Kialla, and as Shepparton Greyhound Racing Club's long-standing track curator, part of the relocation’s success is owed to Wren.

But 35 years on, club manager McGrath is finally saying farewell to his groundsman after the 73-year-old recently hung up his shovel for the last time.

“I used to go down to the track with my dad as a kid and I can remember Adrian starting not long after,” McGrath said.

“He has worked 29 years full-time and six years casual. He retired in 2014, but couldn’t stay away from it.

“His work ethic has been relentless; he would just toil away all day.

“He is just a ripper bloke really — everyone likes him and is appreciative of the work he has done for the club.”

Well versed in his craft, Wren brought the kind of versatility to the job which was honed on the farm he grew up on.

Each day he showed up, worked, and left without complaint.

And though McGrath mentioned Wren’s passion for his work was evident, funnily enough, all the hustle and bustle brought on by the racing didn’t not hold the same appeal.

“Adrian wasn’t really into all the races — he’d come to the club functions — but I think he just really loved looking after the track,” McGrath said.

“I reckon he would have been a farmer if he didn’t choose to be a curator.”

However, it’s safe to say McGrath is glad Wren stuck with his chosen career.

In parting pleasantries about Wren, the Shepparton greyhounds head thanked the man who he labelled “as fit as a fiddle for a 73-year-old” for his dedication to keeping things ticking on the track.

For three-and-a-half decades, no less.

“It has been so great to have someone you can depend on for so long,” McGrath said.

“He isn’t the sort of bloke to put in one hard day’s work and take his foot off the gas, he always worked at the same pace.

“He has been a rock for the club.”

Though he can’t remember anything spectacular as to why he first entered his chosen field, Wren does admit one thing; you have to know your stuff.

According to the man himself, hailing from a farming background and possessing a rugged work ethic helped him tackle any task which presented itself.

“In the job you’ve got to be a plumber, a builder, a jack-of-all-trades,” Wren said.

“Nearly all of those years I did the job by myself, although it changed a bit once they moved the track from the Shepparton Showgrounds to Kialla.”

As a key cog in the Shepparton greyhound racing machine, Wren has witnessed the industry's progression since first walking through the showground gates.

“Greyhound racing has constantly changed since I first started,” he said.

“There used to be bookmakers everywhere, now it is all online. Basically, everything has gone from rags to riches.

“In those days there was no money, now things are a bit different.”

But while money has come and gone in spades, Wren admits he had no hand in any of it.

In fact, he never even laid down a bet.

“I never had a bet in the 35 years that I worked there,” he said.

“I wouldn’t have known how to pick them anyway.”

Punting proficiency aside, Wren’s ground-breaking efforts as curator of Shepparton is a real rarity.

Committing his life to the craft, Wren has run his race after a long-serving career — and can’t wait to enjoy a well-deserved, well-overdue rest.

“I enjoyed every minute of it, but I’m enjoying what I’m doing now,” he said.

“I’m looking forward to looking after the family, the kids and the grandkids, and just pottering around.

“I’ve done my bit at the track I reckon.”