“I was having a very enjoyable night, when all of sudden it got tipped on its head in a really nice way,” reflected Roso.
“I wish to thank GRNZ, along with Elizabeth (Whelan) and Chantelle (Askew) for working so hard behind the scenes putting everything together. Getting my family up to Auckland for the evening made everything so much more special. Dad (Peter) and my family have always had a huge influence on me,” he advised.
Details about Roso’s career in greyhound racing is laid out below, however Roso acknowledges the early hands-on involvement within the industry that he experienced.
“Yes, Pat Cagney and Ray Adcock were my early contacts. However, beyond them, I ran into Craig Roberts early on who back then (around 1990) had training ambitions. I had just taken redundancy from the Christchurch Press and I decided to put it into a piece of land. Together, Craig and myself built a house and a small kennel block just out of Kaiapoi.
“We set up with around 10 greyhounds; however, it reached the stage where Craig was more ambitious in future training, and I decided to go to broadcasting school and I went down the media road from there.
“Craig has always been a strong supporter of me and he gave me a big push during those early days – there has always been a bond there,” advised Roso.
“It was surreal for me looking at people in the Hall of Fame. People like Gordon Kingston, Ray Adcock, Nancy Cobain, Sam Fletcher, and Thayne Green – those people had the courage in the face of adversity to work tirelessly to get everything over the line to provide what we all enjoy today. Without them, we wouldn’t be here today.
“It is very humbling being alongside them; like, I went ‘wow, these are greats of the industry.’
“On the commentating side, greats like Peter Earley and Paul Ambrosoli, along with Trevor Wilkes had a big impact and influence on my commentating.
“I’d also like to acknowledge Andre Neill, as he was the man who took a chance on me back in the Action TV (Trackside) days, which has obviously been a huge part of my life. So many people in the Trackside team have believed in me and given me huge opportunities that I will always be very grateful for,” stated Roso.
“I am excited and really rapt to be working with up-and-coming people within the industry. People like Andy McCook, Pip Morris, Blake Stothart and Dan Fogarty are our voices and faces of the future. I love the fact that these people are so enthusiastic, and they remind me where I was 20 or so years ago.
“I also liked what I saw when I looked around the room last Saturday. There were so many young people there and it is pleasing and exciting for the industry to have these young people coming through as they are the future for us. That is really so cool,” enthused Roso.
