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Speaker 1: Ok. Now, the Darwin Turf Club is reportedly dealing with

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Speaker 1: more resignations following what's been described as an exodus after

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Speaker 1: the last month's annual general meeting. So it is understood

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Speaker 1: that two more board members resigned, I believe over the weekend.

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Speaker 1: But joining me on the line right now is the

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Speaker 1: Darwin Turf Club CEO Brad Morgan. Good morning to you, Brad, Katie.

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Speaker 1: How are you not too bad?

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Speaker 2: Brad?

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Speaker 1: Firstly, you're outgoing CEO, aren't you. When do you do

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Speaker 1: to finish up?

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Speaker 2: Yeah? Thursday, Katie, Katy.

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Speaker 1: Well, so Thursday is your last day, but still plenty happening.

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Speaker 1: By the look of things, it is being reported that

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Speaker 1: two more board members resigned from the board. Is that correct, Brad?

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Speaker 2: Now, Katie, there weren't two resignations over the weekend. Another

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Speaker 2: board member has resigned. Jadie Ward's resigned late last week.

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Speaker 2: But you may be referring to an article enting years

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Speaker 2: Dalebitional and Brooke Prince resigned a couple of weeks ago,

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Speaker 2: so that was previously. But no, there was another board

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Speaker 2: member resigned on Friday and.

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Speaker 1: So last week, So how does that what does that

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Speaker 1: sort of take the total too or how many people

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Speaker 1: have you still got sitting on the board at the moment.

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Speaker 2: Kind of the six board members on the board to.

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Speaker 1: Day and Turf Club, how many are there usually, Brad.

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Speaker 2: Well, the maximums is ten. There was ten we've had

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Speaker 2: in total. Obviously that's reduced to six now following those resignations.

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Speaker 2: So j d Ward has resigned. She's applied for a

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Speaker 2: position on the Thoroughbred Racing in Tea or Tier in T,

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Speaker 2: which is the Princevial racing authority in the Northern Territory.

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Speaker 2: Under the constitution, she couldn't sit on the board of

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Speaker 2: Day and Turf Club and sit on the Tier in

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Speaker 2: T board. So she made a personal decision to resign

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Speaker 2: from the Darwen Turf Club to make her eligible to

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Speaker 2: sit on that position of TRNT and she resigned late

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Speaker 2: last week to be considered to that role.

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Speaker 1: So, Brad, what does it all mean for the Turf

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Speaker 1: Club given the fact that you've got those six board

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Speaker 1: members right now, usually you do have a round ten

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Speaker 1: sitting on that board. What does it mean for the

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Speaker 1: Turf Club as you lead into the Darwin Cup Carnival.

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Speaker 2: Well, the Darwin Turf Club can still function obviously with

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Speaker 2: six six board members. I mean ten is a large

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Speaker 2: number on a board anyway, So six, a board of

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Speaker 2: six can still set the policies and procedures for Darleen

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Speaker 2: Turf Club. Most of the planning for the for the

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Speaker 2: carnival is already done as we lead into what we

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Speaker 2: had Rowant day on Saturday. Day one is this Saturday.

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Speaker 2: So most of the planning isy been done and the

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Speaker 2: numbers are strong, as we've spoke about before in your show.

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Speaker 2: So I don't think I'll have a great impact at

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Speaker 2: all on the racing carnival.

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Speaker 1: And so I guess that you know. The concern I

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Speaker 1: suppose from from some is that you know, with you

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Speaker 1: finishing up on Thursday, with those board members resigning, that

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Speaker 1: maybe the Turf Club is not in the shape that

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Speaker 1: is ideal as you lead into the Cup carnival. Is

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Speaker 1: that the case?

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Speaker 2: I wouldn't say that, No, that's not That's not the case.

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Speaker 2: As I said that the board con function still with

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Speaker 2: six members sitting on it, look have four resignations, it

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Speaker 2: isn't ideal. Obviously, it does give the board an opportunity

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Speaker 2: to find for certably qualified people now to sit on

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Speaker 2: the board, and they can do that. They can go

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Speaker 2: and look for the appropriate people to sit on the

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Speaker 2: board until the next dage them and they can be

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Speaker 2: ratified by the members of Darwin Turf Club. But all

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Speaker 2: things to date are pointing to a successful carnible And

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Speaker 2: as I said, a board of six can manage as

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Speaker 2: well as a board of ten. I guess it's the

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Speaker 2: quality of the board members that is going to dictate

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Speaker 2: on the success or not of the future of Darmen

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Speaker 2: Turf Club.

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Speaker 1: Brad, has it been difficult to you know, to get

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Speaker 1: new board members to sit on that board and you know,

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Speaker 1: to sort of to keep that board operating given what

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Speaker 1: has gone on over the last couple of years.

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Speaker 2: Okay, the are you lying if I said it wasn't.

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Speaker 2: And it's similarly attracting staff as been has been difficult

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Speaker 2: as well as everyone's experiencing in the territory, and then

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Speaker 2: when we've had this negative publicity, it does make it

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Speaker 2: more difficult to attract quality personal I'd like to think

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Speaker 2: that they're starting to come out the other end and

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Speaker 2: other end of that. Yeah, But as I said, it

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Speaker 2: is an opportunity now for DWN Turf Club with those

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Speaker 2: four vacancies to get some skill based people onto that

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Speaker 2: board and help out with in their particular fields of expertise.

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Speaker 2: People with financial, legal, marketing, business experience would be ideal

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Speaker 2: to have on any board, particularly the board where darl

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Speaker 2: and Turf Club it is that in its present history.

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Speaker 1: Brad, is there any further discussion at this point in

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Speaker 1: time or has there been any determination at this point

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Speaker 1: in time when it comes to that funding and the

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Speaker 1: paying back of that twelve million dollars. I know that

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Speaker 1: the Turf Club and indeed Thoroughbred Racing had been pretty

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Speaker 1: vocal and straightforward about saying that they're in a situation

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Speaker 1: where they couldn't afford to actually pay that back to

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Speaker 1: the Northern Territory. Where are things at from your perspective.

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Speaker 2: Well, still in limbo. There's been our sales or TR

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Speaker 2: and T. You haven't had any definitive answers yet on

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Speaker 2: where that's heading, and we're probably like you, we hear things,

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Speaker 2: but there's been no correspondence from the NT government about

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Speaker 2: whether they're still intending to claw back the twelve million

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Speaker 2: dollars or that's not going to happen. And we have

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Speaker 2: been told the funding agreement starts on July one between

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Speaker 2: TR and T and an NT government and clearly that

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Speaker 2: would dictate a decision needs to be made before then,

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Speaker 2: and that's this Friday. So we are thinking that in

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Speaker 2: the next couple of days that we will hear we

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Speaker 2: need to hear something of a definitive nature.

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Speaker 1: So realistically, hopefully over the next couple of days you'll

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Speaker 1: have a better understand.

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Speaker 2: Well, I think we have to Katie, it's the funny

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Speaker 2: agreement commences on July one. I think it'll be slightly

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Speaker 2: responsible for government to love it on our doorstep with

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Speaker 2: very little time that's to negotiade, which appears to be

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Speaker 2: what's going to happen anyway, I would suggest.

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Speaker 1: But before we wrap up, I do want to ask

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Speaker 1: how many days is it now till the Cup Carnival

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Speaker 1: gets underway? And how are well, how's the recruitment going

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Speaker 1: to try and get all the staff that you actually need.

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Speaker 1: I know it takes a massive workforce in the bars

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Speaker 1: and to really be able to get everything moving for

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Speaker 1: that Cup Carnival.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well we're in it now, Okatie. We've got this Saturday,

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Speaker 2: the first day of the carnival. Yep, we had a

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Speaker 2: roun day on Saturday. There was good numbers on course.

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Speaker 2: For that we spoke before all the corporates sold out

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Speaker 2: on day eight, sorry, on the cup day itself. The

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Speaker 2: ball is practically sold out. We're near enough to it

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Speaker 2: and the recruitment is always every year. That's the biggest

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Speaker 2: problem for darl and Turch Club to ensure there's appropriate

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Speaker 2: staff to servece everyone on course. And so far it's promising,

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Speaker 2: but we have a little bit more time up our sleeves.

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Speaker 2: But it's the numbers is looking very promising that we'll

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Speaker 2: have those sort of numbers to make sure everyone gets

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Speaker 2: looked after and brand.

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Speaker 1: How are you feeling about finishing up on Thursday? You know,

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Speaker 1: writing right in the midst of it all, A little.

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Speaker 2: Bit nervous, gave it to be honest, But that's said

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Speaker 2: looking forward to it as looking forward to the change

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Speaker 2: getting out of the private enterprise, and so they're a

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Speaker 2: little bit nervous, a little bit strange all day's time. Well,

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Speaker 2: we'll know.

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Speaker 1: And who's stepping in, who's going to be who's going

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Speaker 1: to be doing that CEO's job.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, there's great Newsbury. Who is the current CUFO done

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Speaker 2: to a club? Ye granted, is stepping up into the

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Speaker 2: role after I leave, he'll be he'll be taking over

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Speaker 2: the rain, so that decisions being made. So that's very

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Speaker 2: very encouraging. But look forward to seeing what Grug can

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Speaker 2: do well.

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Speaker 1: Brad, good to speak with you this morning. I appreciate

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Speaker 1: your time. Please let us know. I know you're finishing

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Speaker 1: up Thursday, but let us know if there is any

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Speaker 1: movement when it comes to you know, when it comes

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Speaker 1: to this funding agreement and what exactly is decided upon, yepol.

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Speaker 1: Thank you. Appreciate your time this morning, Brad, and appreciate

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Speaker 1: you know, the time that you've given us over the

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Speaker 1: last over your time as a CEO.

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Speaker 2: You're welcome.

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Speaker 1: Thank you,