John Roberts made his fortune in construction and it was during his tenure as the Chairman of the Western Australian Turf Club in the mid 1980s that the organisation used the funds from the sale of its Perth head office to build Lee-Steere House opposite Ascot Racecourse on Grandstand Road.
Richard Sholl was a superb servant of the Western Australian Turf Club, involved in senior capacities for all except a few years between 1879 and 1918, including becoming the organisation's first Vice Chairman in 1901.
Born in Bunbury in 1847, Sholl was the WATC's Secretary from 1879 to 1889 before the demands of his public duties - he was appointed the state's Postmaster-General - led him to relinquish the position. Sholl, however, was an enthusiastic member of the WATC's Committee from 1889 to 1898, 1900 to 1906 and 1908 to 1918 and he served two terms as the club's Vice Chairman, the first from 1901 to 1905 and the second from 1908 to 1918.
Sholl died in 1919 but not before making a significant contribution to the WATC, including playing a major role in the creation of the Perth Cup.