[4] Shortly after his arrival, Callaghan was appointed as the District Coroner and Government Medical Officer as well as Rockhampton Hospital's House Surgeon.
[4] Callaghan's interest in horses stemmed from keeping thoroughbreds as a mode of transport enabling him to attend medical emergencies in a timely manner.
[2][10][11] Races were postponed in 1919 when an influenza pandemic in Queensland which killed a number of people locally including the Rockhampton Jockey Club's secretary, Robert Reynoldson Dawbarn.
[2] Callaghan Park has been the scene of a number of incidents over the years which has resulted in injuries and deaths of both jockeys and race horses.
[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] The most serious incident in recent years occurred in October 2014 when 26-year-old jockey Carly-Mae Pye died from severe injuries she sustained when she was thrown from a horse at Callaghan Park during barrier trials.
[2] The media's coverage of events at Callaghan Park extends back to 1936 when local radio station 4RO was granted permission to broadcast the description of races.
[44][45] In 1912, Callaghan Park hosted a race between a car and a Bleriot monoplane, piloted by American aviation pioneer Arthur Burr Stone which took place in front of a crowd of 7000 people.
A $250,000 reward remains on offer from the Queensland Police Service for information which leads to the apprehension and conviction of those responsible for Kerrisk's disappearance and suspected murder.
The Rockhampton Jockeys Association said they weren't aware of any drug misuse at the race meeting and were happy to cooperate with police conducting the search.
[50] Owing to its low-lying location, flooding of the nearby Fitzroy River has inundated the racecourse and associated infrastructure at Callaghan Park numerous times since it opened in 1898.
[2] As the venue is available for hire, Callaghan Park is often used for other non-racing related community events including New Year's Eve celebrations and the CQ Mega Lifestyle Expo.