Sport
10 June, 2025
Maryborough Harness Racing’s David Clausen wins volunteer of the year
For over 20 years, Maryborough Harness Racing Club committee member David Clausen has done every job imaginable.
He’s assisted as a club farrier, worked as a track attendant on the barriers on race day, ensured the facilities are well kept as a groundskeeper and even worked on the bar all for no pay.
For his dedicated service to local harness racing, Clausen was recently awarded the prestigious 2024/25 TCV Volunteer of the Year award.
Acknowledged at the Victorian Harness Racing Awards last month, Clausen said he was pleasantly surprised to receive the commendation and is thankful to be recognised by his fellow peers.
“I was in a bit of a shock actually, I wasn’t going to go initially, but Jackson Barby said he had some free tickets and I thought ‘it’s going to be a free feed’,” he said.
“When my name came up on the screen, I realised why he asked me to come, I had about 30 seconds to come up with some sort of speech.
“I’ve never done it to get rewards, there are a lot of people around who do just as much, it’s just helping the club out, I’ve got the time and the energy to do it.”
Clausen’s love for harness racing dates back to his childhood, when his father would take him to the showgrounds every Saturday night.
With Bob Parker quickly becoming his favourite driver, Clausen said an unlikely source was the catalyst for his lifetime work in harness racing.
“There used to be a TV show called Make A Wish and I just wrote in and asked if I could spend the day out at Parker’s stable,” he said.
“They picked me up and took me out to the farm and it was the first time I ever drove a horse.
“From then on every Saturday night, I’d go to the trots with them and they would take me home.”
After completing his year 10 exams, Clausen took a job with Parker to help around the stables when he was 15.
Even after he left Parker’s stable, Clausen quickly became a very active owner, trainer and driver up until 2012.
“Once I retired [from work], I was going to get back into horses but I didn’t see a big future in it, so I thought the next best thing is to volunteer,” Clausen said.
“There’s always something to do — Parker always used to say to me ‘If you see something that needs doing, just do it, don’t leave it to somebody else,’ so I sort of always worked on that motto.
“It keeps you active and keeps you involved in harness racing — it’s just the satisfaction of knowing the place looks good on race day.”
Even after 50 years in the industry, Clausen said he’s always enjoyed the family-oriented, social atmosphere of the harness racing community, and still wants to chip in wherever he can.
“As long as I’m welcome out here I would like to stick around,” he said.
“We have a very good committee and some great people around the place, we are working hard and they do anything to support everyone who comes to the Maryborough Harness Racing Club.”