Conversations with Sponsors: Scott Group of Companies
CONVERSATION #12: SCOTT GROUP OF COMPANIES & THE BORDER WATCH NEWS GROUP, MOUNT GAMBIER, SA
The Scott Group of Companies is part the legacy of one of South Australia’s richest men, the late Allan Scott, known for his trucking empire, Scott Transport, along with the property and media empires he built from his home base of Mount Gambier.
One part of that empire is The Border Watch Newsgroup, which produces a local newspaper and news site based in Mount Gambier.
Greyhound racing records show The Border Watch has sponsored races at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Club’s dog racetrack, the Tara Raceway, for at least a decade, with the most recent race in its name taking place last month.
I spoke briefly in March with the Chief Executive Officer of the Scott Group of Companies, David Schwab, who, despite a decade of sponsorship, claimed he was “not aware [the company] have been sponsoring greyhound racing,” and suggested it would be “best to speak to someone more intimately involved.”
Schwab then referred me to the manager of The Border Watch, Dennis Jackson, who did not respond to a request for comment.
The Border Watch has not responded to additional requests for comment on their sponsorship of dog racing.
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The Scott Group of Companies and The Border Watch claim their journalists operate with “honesty and independence”.
The Border Watch has provided sympathetic coverage of dog racing for years, publishing articles by journalist David Lewis on dog racing club memorabilia, racing dog puppy litters, and dog race winners, without any mention of the newspaper’s ongoing sponsorship of dog racing.
The newspaper has never provided coverage of animal deaths at the Tara Raceway or problematic decisions made by the state’s dog racing regulator.
The Border Watch also provides an avenue for local greyhound trainer Tracie Price, who is based in Compton, just outside of Mount Gambier, to advertise his business collecting lame, injured and eye cattle for his animal slaughter business, Trackside Meats.
Allan Scott was a known supporter of animal racing, with Mount Gambier’s horse racetrack named in his honour—the Allan Scott Glenburnie Racecourse.
The Scott Group of Companies also continue to provide regular sponsorship for Mount Gambier’s local horse racing club.
An advertisement for Trackside Meats on The Border Watch news site.