FORMER Western Australian under treasurer Ross Bowe has been named the inaugural chairman of new State racing industry control body Racing and Wagering Western Australia.
RWWA was formed to restructure the State’s multi-million dollar racing industry, covering the codes of thoroughbreds, pacing and greyhounds.
Part of the reasoning behind the creation of the new body was to stamp out the intercode rivalries that had been blamed for the industry not reaching its full potential.
Mr Bowe started his career in 1964 with the Australian Bureau of Statistics in Canberra.
He returned to Perth in 1972 and took up several State Government positions, the last of those being under treasurer until 1994.
Since then he has been a board member of timber importer Austim and has undertaken projects for the Northern Territory Police Force, City of Perth and others.
Mr Bowe also served as chairman of BankWest Holdings and the WA Treasury Corporation and as a board member of the Gold Corporation, WA Coastal Shipping Commission, the State Government Insurance Commission and the Urban Lands Council.
Racing and Gaming Minister Nick Griffiths said WA Totalisator Agency Board CEO Ray Bennett would act as RWWA’s CEO on an interim basis.