Liberal MLA Mark Parton picks up the binoculars again

Parton's back behind the microphone and the binoculars for a short time only - calling Queanbeyan's Boxing Day five-race meet.

The first race jumps at 2.25pm with the get-out stakes wrapping up proceedings at 5pm.

Queanbeyan chief executive Brendan Comyn put out the call for Parton's comeback - having gotten to the "bottom of the barrel".

It was a passion of the Liberal MLA since he was a young kid growing up in Western Australia, doing phantom calls of the Melbourne Cup.

But there was one problem.

"I pretty much got into because I was told it was impossible because I'm colour blind," Parton said.

"When I was a kid I used to do phantom calls of the Melbourne Cup and all sorts of people, including my parents, said, 'That's really cool Mark, but you realise you'll never be able to do this for real don't you?'

"And I said, 'You just watch me'. So I started calling harness racing trials from the time I was 13."

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That was out in the WA Wheatbelt and he moved onto calling races proper just three years later.

He struggled with thoroughbred racing given the horses were further away, but when he moved to the ACT in 2010 he received a call from Canberra's Thoroughbred Park asking him to do some barrier trials.

That led to appearances at the Binda Picnic Races, Nowra on Melbourne Cup Day and Queanbeyan on Boxing Day.

Finally, a lack of time - and talent - led to him hanging up the binoculars.

"I called a few race meetings on Sky, but I gave it away in 2015 partly because I didn't have much time and partly because I'm not very good," Parton laughed.

"I've got to bluff a fair bit. But it's good fun. It's a circus trapeze act without a net because you are expected to know exactly what's going on at that moment.

"I enjoy it. I find myself out of my comfort zone, but I reckon the more time you spend out of your comfort zone the better your life is."

But Comyn's call for help has brought him back to the scene where he called a Queanbeyan meeting on Sky Racing.

He thinks he might be the only politician with a professional interest in racing who can do the job.

"I would put a challenge out there for any minister or shadow for racing anywhere in the country to rock up and call the races," Parton said.

"I don't reckon there's any of them out there that could do it."

Parton was excited for the day, having always enjoyed the Boxing Day races at Queanbeyan in the past.

He felt that would be especially so this time, given the "mongrel of a year" we've had. Drought into bushfires into toxic smoke into the coronavirus pandemic and all that.

Will he be going easy on Christmas Day to ensure he's at his peak for his comeback?

"I don't think so. I think the more beers you have probably the better you get at it."