CEO of the Greyhound Welfare & Integrity Commission, Steve Griffin, has confirmed the passing of the Chief Commissioner, Mr Alan Brown AM, on Tuesday evening.

“We were deeply shocked and saddened to learn that Chief Commissioner Brown AM passed away last night shortly after surgery
at St Vincent’s hospital,” Mr Griffin said.

“Alan was a gentleman in every way and was enormously respected for both his professionalism and in the way he dealt with friends, colleagues and strangers.”

“He was a great leader, mentor and strategic thinker and he was steadfastly committed to ensuring that the greyhound racing industry
had a sustainable and bright future. He will be deeply missed by us all.”

Mr Brown AM made a significant contribution to the racing community, having had an association with thoroughbred racing spanning decades. He held leadership roles in the industry from 1983 - 2014, principally with the Sydney Turf Club, Racing NSW, Racing Corp, the Australian Pattern Committee, and was a director of the Australian Racing Board.

Mr Brown AM also had a longstanding exposure to greyhound racing. His grandfather bred and raced greyhounds with notable success, and Alan’s son has raced greyhounds successfully.

In August 2017, the NSW Government appointed Mr Brown AM as the Chief Commissioner of the newly established Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission for a 3-year term, where he was instrumental in leading the Government’s reforms. His appointment was then extended until the end of 2022.

In 2019, Alan was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the thoroughbred racing industry and was recognised for his 45 years a Solicitor of the Supreme Court.

“Alan’s contribution to the thoroughbred and greyhound racing industries was immense and both codes are better for the contributions that he has made,” Mr Griffin said.

“I know that Alan was immensely proud of what the Commission has achieved under very challenging times, and that the Commission was developing into the controlling body that he had envisioned when he first commenced with the Commission over four years ago.”

“We couldn’t have done it without his strong leadership. He will be deeply missed by us all.”

“On behalf of everyone at the Commission, I would like to extend our sincere condolences to Alan’s wife, Belinda, and his entire family.”