KEVIN ‘BOOFA’ INNES By Lucy McCormick Kevin was a member of the celebrated Innes clan from Inglewood, in Central Victoria. “I think the first Innes’ came to Inglewood in 1851. My daughter used to say she can’t marry anyone from Inglewood, because she’s related to them all,” says Kevin. ‘Boofa’ is enjoying some well-earned relaxation on the couch after breaking a kneecap six or seven months ago in a track work incident. Not that it seems to be bothering him too much; he’s got plenty of time to keep up with the trots on television. “I do follow them,” Kevin says. “I don’t miss many, and I do have a bet. I like to sit in the chair and drive a race as much as anyone.” With an illustrious career both as a trainer and in the sulky, it’s a safe bet that Kevin Innes is a more than handy ‘grandstand driver’. His name is associated as a trainer/driver with many handy horses, including Lea Sands, Imatoff and Stormy Morn to name a few. Kevin is typically circumspect about his bigger triumphs, however that doesn’t seem to be what interests him the most. “I’ll tell you something,” he declares, doing just that, “I like winning with the horses that were no good. Some people never get a good horse. Imagine that. Luck is a very, very important thing. You have to have luck to buy a good horse at the sales, to get it going, keep it sound, find a race for it, find and owner and get a draw. And they still make a liar of you.” Funny, interesting or quirky stories seem to be of greater interest to Kevin, such as the time he had a strong chance in a standing start race – the favourite in the race being his only worry. “I told the owner it only had a 20-metre handicap – I couldn’t beat it off that,” he remembers. “So I was leading, waiting for the favourite to run past me. Toward the finish, I heard it coming, and it ran straight past all right – minus the driver. He’d fallen out of the cart and I won the race. Just lucky.” The Innes family have always been heavily involved in one sporting pursuit or another – Kevin himself being a champion bike rider of his time. “My Uncle Roy was a good bike rider, so he dared me to have a go. It turned out I was quite good at it as well.” So good, in fact that for many years Kevin was able to make a living from bike riding, riding the ‘board track’ for many years. “We trained hard. Bike riding was very big back then, we’d train and ride three or four times a week.” Kevin’s riding career spanned four Herald Sun Tours, a Warrnambool to Melbourne and a Sydney to Melbourne race, to name a few. “It definitely gets you in – it was long hours,” he muses. “But like anything, horse racing included, you only get back what you put in. We trained hard. I never drank, and I still don’t. I’ve seen that many athletes, great ones too, brought down by alcohol.” Lucky with injury too, Kevin can only remember a sore ankle – as well as the requisite scrapes and abrasions from tumbles on the wooden boards of the velodromes. He still enjoys watching all the big bike races when he can. “You can watch them race all over the world – France, Sweden, Germany. “To be honest I sit up and watch them with my son and we get just as much of a kick looking at the countryside than anything else. It’s so different to when I was racing.” Betting on the bike racing was big in Kevin’s day as well, and some of the bookies Kevin saw betting on the bike racing, he saw at the Showgrounds betting on the trots on a Friday or Saturday night. “Racing was different back then. There would be twelve thousand people at the showgrounds – they don’t have to come anymore, it’s just as easy to watch it on the TV.” Kevin remembers in those days that drivers had to ‘weigh in’ as well – everyone who drove needed to weigh ten stone (just under 65 kilograms). It’s something he remembers fondly. “I know not everyone will.” Kevin won’t be drawn on the subject of favourite drivers, either. “Look. Driving is different now. No disrespect to current drivers, but you had to think a lot more on a three furlong track than they do now on the bigger tracks. You had to drive with brains. And I really believe that good horses make good drivers. The horses are very good these days. Today’s drivers – your Gavin Langs, Chris Alfords – they’re thinkers, and brains will beat brawn every time. The girls are just as good now too. You only have to look at Kerryn Manning.” A garrulous and popular character, Kevin has trained horses for the likes of legendary Richmond player Jack Dyer, and also spent his fair share of time hosting sportsman’s nights, holding his own with the likes of Ron Barassi. On one such night, they had flown in a light aircraft to their destination. During their show, Kevin noticed their pilot, sitting in the front row, laughing appreciatively. There was one problem. He had a beer in his hand, and was consuming it with some enthusiasm. As the night wore on, the pilot became more and more inebriated, and Kevin became more and more disturbed, knowing that this was the same pilot who was to fly them home when they finished. Unbeknownst to Kevin, however, the flight had been cancelled and the pilot hadn’t told anyone, instead deciding to take full advantage of his client’s hospitality. For now, Kevin is happy living in Inglewood with partner Barbara. Son Grant and daughter Carla aren’t far away (both work at the Bendigo Harness track, and Carla has held both a trainer and driver’s licence). His granddaughter, Barclay Sands, was born on the same day of the demise of their star performer, Lea Sands, and may give the biggest hint yet just how important the world of harness racing is to Kevin ‘Boofa’ Innes. Blue with white yolkKevin Innes embroidered on left side chestkevin innes, k innes, bendigo harness racing club, bhrc, bendigo, horses, race colours, trotting, pacing, harness racing

Bendigo Advertiser "The way we were" from Tuesday, May 25, 2004. Bike champ: Kevin Innes was a champion cyclist who claimed the title of Bendigo champion three years in a row. Also well known in harness racing, Mr Innes now lives in Inglewood.newspaper, bendigo advertiser, the way we were

Victorian Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (VIOSH) Australia is the Asia-Pacific centre for teaching and research in occupational Health and safety (OHS) and is known as one of Australia's leaders in the field. VIOSH has a global reputation for its innovative approach within the field of OHS management. University of Ballarat is a predecessor institution of Federation University Australia. Federation University VIOSH Australia students are safety managers, senior advisors and experienced OHS professionals. They come from all over Australia and industry. Students are taught active research and enquiry; rather than textbook learning and a one-size fits all approach. VIOSH accepts people into the Graduate Diploma of Occupational Hazard Management who have no undergraduate degree – on the basis of extensive work experience and knowledgeTimber framed colour photograph with name plate containing the names of everyone.Typed name plate with all the namesviosh, viosh australia, occupational health and safety certificate course, jacqueline bebensee, jeff benham, michael buchan, steven cameron, stephen dohnt, leslie ferguson, derek foster, don gillies, sue hardy, kay hevey, kevin hill, shane innes, rick loveridge, lee magnussen, colin mcnab, dennis olmstead, carolyn osswald, andrew pearce, sue pickering, jane raju, daniel ryan, michael simons, david taylor, mark westwood

Annual report providing overview of activities and achievements including: the merger of three organisations into one national service, transition from CD and cassette services to digital via DAISY books, tactile hands on exhibition held at the Sydney Object Gallery, a new sensory playroom was developed in the Hunter region and 'Lighthouse on the Boulevard' was published.1 volume with illustrations providing overview of organisational achievementscorporation records, vision australia, gerard menses, kevin murfitt, owen van der wall, keith barton, david blyth, maryanne diamond, paul gleeson, timothy griffiths, graeme innes, mike janes, june ashmore, malcolm daubney, lynette davis, john coleman, marie bashir, don nardella, bruce mcallister, adam spencer, stephen jolley, geoff butcher, ebru sumaktus, krystal keller

On November 25, 2005 the Kodak Carols by Candlelight launch was held in the browsing library at Kooyong with a large number of staff and guests in attendance. Speeches were made by Gerard Menses, Graeme Innes, Greg McKibbin, Marjorie West and Marina Prior. The crowd got to open Christmas crackers and hear some songs from Marina Prior before a cake was cut and shared. Afterwards everyone headed outside for the burying of the time capsule by Jarryd Clifford and an unidentified man, in the garden outside the cafe. Then Marina posed for some photographs and the Kodak printing kiosk was demonstrated in the browsing library.119 images of attendees at the Carols launch and burying of time capsulecarols by candlelight, vision australia, gerard menses, marjorie west, graeme innes, greg mckibbin, jarryd clifford, ania zamecznik, sandra alder, andrew ferrarese, joanne, cherry johnson, tony clarke, lynne kells, rita townsend-booth, jennifer gibbons, roberta ashby, david blyth, margaret bashfield, colleen thom, peter lowrey, kevin murfitt, kodak, karen knight, tony shepherd, peter north, anna fairclough, ashley wood, stephen jolley, time capsule