Glenn Knight was recently celebrated as part of a select group of Gallagher Volunteer of the Year award recipients.

Glenn has been an integral member of the Casterton Drag Racing Club for almost two decades and its President for near on eight years.

The 44-year-old was taken completely by surprise when he was presented with the award and was quick to turn the praise back to other members of the club.

“I didn’t realise what was happening at first and it was certainly a nice surprise,” said the mechanic and owner of Casterton Auto Repairs.

“It is a class effort, a giant effort. We do not have a lot of members compared to other clubs and our success always comes down to a club effort.

“Everyone pitches in and gets their hands dirty. It is a great, tight knit, little club and everyone gets on really well and works together.”

The Casterton Drag Racing Club, which hosts Australia’s only drag racing event on a public road, has been running for 28 years.

“What we do is pretty unique, this is the only place in Australia you can drag race on a public road, and we all get a lot of enjoyment out of putting on an event like this and welcoming people to come and take part, including many who haven’t seen something like this before,” he said.

“Without the members of the club, the support of our local town and businesses, sponsors, firies, ambos, caterers and other local community clubs, we could not do what we do, and we are very appreciative for everyone’s support. We are proud also to donate back to the community after each annual event.

“We also get some great help from South Coast Raceway with managing the startline during our event and our two clubs work really well together – we certainly appreciate everything they do for our event.

“Many of our members like to go to South Coast Raceway and compete at their events as well, so it is like our second home track.”

Knight’s involvement with the club began with him racing a Falcon Ute in the early nineties and he has never lost his passion for the strip.

“I started out with the club as a competitor and after racing and watching for a while I started to get involved with different jobs and bits and pieces around the place, before eventually becoming a fully fledged member of the club,” Knight said.

“I have been there ever since and today I am the President of the Club.

“I was the Vice President for a few years before becoming the President. When the President position came up in 2012 and I was nominated I thought I would give it a go for a couple of years and here I am all these years later, still loving it and still enjoying it.

“We have had some great moments over the years. For instance, when our event started it was run in conjunction with the Casterton Apex Club but about six or seven years ago the Casterton Drag Racing Club took full responsibility for the event and that was a big step forward for us.

“When I can I still like to get out there and race too – I have a little two-door Ford Escort with a 347 Windsor that I run in Super Street.

“I really do love racing and I am very thankful for all of the good people I have been able to meet as part of this sport over the years, it really keeps you going,” he said.

Gallagher is the official insurance broker of the Australian National Drag Racing Association and offers competitive, no obligation quotes on everything from your race trailers, to your business, to your race track. For more than 90 years, Gallagher’s tailored insurance, risk management and consulting solutions have helped businesses, communities and people face their futures with confidence. For more information, visit www.ajg.com.au

To learn more about the Casterton Drag Racing Club, go to www.facebook.com/castertondrags

For more from ANDRA, please visit www.andra.com.au