The Briseis Club, founded in 1995 Journalist-sports promoter John Craven explains that the Briseis Club took its name from the Geelong-bred three-year-old Briseis, the first female racehorse to triumph in the Melbourne Cup – back in 1876 when she also won the Victoria Derby and VRC Oaks, all in the space of six days. “It’s an astonishing feat that will never be repeated,” says Craven, the club’s foundation president who rounded-up an enthusiastic band of eager-beaver local luminaries to form the inaugural committee; they included the Racing Club’s general manager Doug Hall, Geelong Advertiser editor Graeme Vincent, the intrepid car dealer Johnny Brain, the ex-Cats defender Les Borrack, and popular Geelong Yacht Club sailor John Chandley. The evergreen man-about-town Billy Fitzgerald joined the committee a year later and became a legend. The club’s original charter was to generate sponsorship for the Geelong Racing Club and kick-start the popular Briseis Gold Cup meeting, in addition to supporting local charities. While still maintaining a strong interest in horse racing, the club has shifted direction and has focused on helping Geelong regional athletes attain their goals on the State, national and international stage this year. The club’s vice-president Andrew Wierzbowski announced a $5000 grant to the Barwon Sports Academy at the dinner. The BSA has a tremendous record in assisting aspiring sports stars – perhaps none better than Barwon Heads’ Jakara Anthony, gold medallist in the mogul skis at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. The academy, under the expertise of its livewire CEO, the former St. Mary’s premiership defender and Team of the Century member Cameron Loftus, will support about 130 young athletes across a diverse 30 sports in 2023. The inaugural Briseis Cup was raced over 1700 metres at the Geelong racecourse in September, 1995, and resulted in a conquest for the Geelong Football Club. The winner True Identity was trained by Cats champion Mark Bairstow and owned by dual premiership player and blue-and-white hoops president Ron Hovey. The club, which restrained its membership to 50 in the opening few years, flourished financially, largely through regular dinner meetings held at Geelong’s Wool Exchange Hotel – under the wonderful patronage of proprietors Terry, Annette and Craig Morrissy. Often conducted amid uproarious hilarity, generated by the likes of veteran members Meggs Elkington, Hughie McKinnon and Neville Hempton, the club attracted an amazing variety of renowned guest speakers, led by the controversial Australian Commonwealth Games secretary-general Arthur Tunstall and his mate, the International Cycling Union vice-president Ray Godkin, who flew down from Sydney for the night to inform and entertain the enthralled Briseis brigade. It is estimated that the Briseis Club has donated more than $300,000 to the Geelong Racing Club and a string of worthy causes throughout the region during its first 28 years of operations. A favourite is the incredible Paralympic gold medallist Kelly Cartwright who received support from the club during the early stages of her athletics career.