Impressive Literary Collection Donated

The Creek are the proud recipients of a recent donation of a large amount of trotting memorabilia thanks to the family of Mr Maurice Curtin.

Curtin had a love of the horse, more specifically, he loved to study and trace the breeding of the standardbred.

With his working life spent as a fitter and turner for the Queensland Government Printing office, his escape and hobby came in researching pedigrees and bloodlines.

In a time when the internet did not exist, breeding buffs relied on the Stud Book and for Maurice Curtin, he used this time to trace the breed of the standardbred and was able to use his research and knowledge to offer advice to other breeders.

Mr Curtin passed away in mid-2023 and after decades of research of the standardbred, had acquired a substantial literary resource which he had used over time as he examined and delved into the different aspects of pedigrees and breeding.

A call to The Creek from Leanne Fox- Mr Curtin’s daughter- has led to the Curtin family donating the entire library of printed books and scrapbooks of articles that Mr Curtin had acquired over his life.

Included in the collection is every printed edition of the Australian Trotting Stud Book from 1955-2007 before it went completely electronic.

The first editions of the Australian Stud Book for Trotters are also included, Volume 1 – which was printed in 1910- the small bound book in amazing order, along with several scrapbooks in impeccable condition.

“Our father had a lifelong interest of breeding trotters and thoroughbred horses,” Ms Fox said.

“When we were growing up, the books provided a retreat for Dad from his daily life.

“Most Saturday afternoons he would research his books for breeding information, create the scrapbooks and provide research for horse breeders and trainers.”

Curtin was sought after by many breeders, keen to lean on his knowledge and breeding advice from the countless hours of study and research.

Not only did his analysis centre around the Australian Trotting Stud Book, but his research also included the collection of newspaper, journal, and magazine articles, basically anything that he saw relevant to breeding or the development of the harness racing industry.

Any printed piece of breeding relevance that Mr Curtin could locate, was fastidiously placed in one of his many scrapbooks, which remain in immaculate condition considering some are over 50 years old.

Also, a regular attendee at Albion Park, Maurice Curtin immersed himself in every aspect of breeding and his lifelong passion can now be seen at The Creek.

The father of five children, Terrence, Leanne, Michelle, Sharon and John, the family have very generously handed over the entire collection of books and scrapbooks.

“We could not think of a better way to preserve the history of our father’s collection than having the comprehensive collection of books and scrapbooks of newspaper and magazine clippings enjoyed by current and future generations and housed at the Albion Park Harness Racing Club,” Ms Fox said.

Now sitting on display in The Creek boardroom alongside the trophy from the first ever Inter Dominion Championship, the club is grateful to the Curtin Family for entrusting us with such important vestiges.

Anyone wishing to view the collection please contact Darren Clayton at The Creek.

Vale Maurice John Curtin, 22 / 05 / 1933 – 24 / 06 / 2023.