This year our Christmas Party was a double-header. Firstly we visited the National Museum to see "Spirited: Australia's Horse Story" and then headed back to Sue & Gerd's for a cocktail party. The Spirited exhibition was the one that Women In Racing supported earlier on in the year by attending a champagne breakfast overlooking lake.
To make it easier, the excursion to the National Museum both started and ended at Sue's place. When we arrived there was a long "Moonlight Stretch Limo" waiting that must have had capacity for over a hundred people.
We headed off to the Museum via the Arboretum, where the bus made a quick tour and allowed people to see how it had progressed. As with any WiR trip, champagne and beer accompanied us.
When we got to the Museum and exhibition, Sue pointed out the Acknowledgements board at the entrance that recognised Women In Racing's support for the organisation of the event.
We were free to wander around the exhibit, which displayed a lot of early horse memorabilia - some of which was familiar to some of our members from their youth or from stories handed down from their parents.
After the exhibition we headed back on the bus to Sue and Gerd's house for the cocktail party. Willo won the prize for best Christmas outfit, with Marj coming a close second.
Thanks to all the Committee for organising such a great event.
Photos of the day are in the following slideshow. If you can't see the slideshow in your browser, then click here.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Canterbury Night Races
This year, a new event on the Women In Racing agenda was a trip to the Canterbury night races in Sydney.
Some of us met up at the Canberra racecourse to be picked up by the coach at 2pm. The temperature was in the high 30's and we we soaked with sweat by the time the coach arrived. We were looking forward to getting out of the heat, and were surprised to find the coach not much cooler. Michael explained that the coach would take a bit of time to cool down, so we sat back and waited while we headed north to Sydney.
We waited for the coach to cool down, and waited, and waited. But it stayed hot and uncomfortable for the whole trip. At least we had lots of ice cold champagne to drink.
We arrived at about 6pm and were glad to get out of the coach an into the cooler evening air.
Fortunately Canterbury has reciprocal arrangements with Canberra, so after showing our Canberra members' cards, we were given Canterbury guest member passes. It was a $5 entry, $5 food, and $5 drink evening as well.
Canterbury is larger than Canberra, and had several levels in their stand. We headed up to the top level and took over one of the bar areas, with Les and Steve negotiating with the bar staff to avoid having to pay for the lounge seating. There was a great atmosphere at Canterbury with quite a large number of people there for an evening's entertainment.
The races started at 7pm the finished at 10pm, with most of the races running under strong floodlights. The horses didn't seem to mind at all.
By the time it was time to leave the temperature had dropped a lot, so the faulty coach airconditioning wasn't a problem. We had an uneventful trip back to Canberra, with many dozing off on the way. We got back to Canberra at about 2am and everybody was looking forward to their beds.
Overall, we had a great time. A slideshow of the day are below. If you can't see the slideshow, then click here.
.
.
Some of us met up at the Canberra racecourse to be picked up by the coach at 2pm. The temperature was in the high 30's and we we soaked with sweat by the time the coach arrived. We were looking forward to getting out of the heat, and were surprised to find the coach not much cooler. Michael explained that the coach would take a bit of time to cool down, so we sat back and waited while we headed north to Sydney.
We waited for the coach to cool down, and waited, and waited. But it stayed hot and uncomfortable for the whole trip. At least we had lots of ice cold champagne to drink.
We arrived at about 6pm and were glad to get out of the coach an into the cooler evening air.
Fortunately Canterbury has reciprocal arrangements with Canberra, so after showing our Canberra members' cards, we were given Canterbury guest member passes. It was a $5 entry, $5 food, and $5 drink evening as well.
Canterbury is larger than Canberra, and had several levels in their stand. We headed up to the top level and took over one of the bar areas, with Les and Steve negotiating with the bar staff to avoid having to pay for the lounge seating. There was a great atmosphere at Canterbury with quite a large number of people there for an evening's entertainment.
The races started at 7pm the finished at 10pm, with most of the races running under strong floodlights. The horses didn't seem to mind at all.
By the time it was time to leave the temperature had dropped a lot, so the faulty coach airconditioning wasn't a problem. We had an uneventful trip back to Canberra, with many dozing off on the way. We got back to Canberra at about 2am and everybody was looking forward to their beds.
Overall, we had a great time. A slideshow of the day are below. If you can't see the slideshow, then click here.
.
.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Derby Day
This year, to join in the Melbourne Cup week festivities, we held our own Derby Day at Meriden, Lynne and Bob Barlow's property just outside Canberra. All the women dressed in the traditional black and white theme of Derby Day.
There was plenty of food and drink to help pass the afternoon, with the rain fortunately holding off so we had some great weather.
Naomi, Karyn, Lee, and Kelly organised sweeps for the Victoria Derby and much of their afternoon was spent trying to get enough change for the various winners' envelopes. The lesson learnt for next year is to not let people pay for sweep tickets with $50 notes!
Nearly all women entered the Best Dressed Woman competition, and I think that Dawn was hard-pressed to select a winner as there were so many well turned-out gals. Franca won the honor with her black-themed arm sling.
Pictures of the day are below. If you can't see the slideshow, then click here.
.
There was plenty of food and drink to help pass the afternoon, with the rain fortunately holding off so we had some great weather.
Naomi, Karyn, Lee, and Kelly organised sweeps for the Victoria Derby and much of their afternoon was spent trying to get enough change for the various winners' envelopes. The lesson learnt for next year is to not let people pay for sweep tickets with $50 notes!
Nearly all women entered the Best Dressed Woman competition, and I think that Dawn was hard-pressed to select a winner as there were so many well turned-out gals. Franca won the honor with her black-themed arm sling.
Pictures of the day are below. If you can't see the slideshow, then click here.
.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Convertibles Rally
Once again members of Women in Racing made their convertible cars available for the annual Convertible Rally that raised a significant amount of money for charity.
The rally started off from Peter and Wanda's beautiful house in Duffy. The azaleas were in full bloom, and the weather was unexpectedly perfect, given the previous few days of wind and drizzle.
The event started with drinks at the house as people arrived for the outing. At about 10am we headed off in a convoy that progressively broke up as each set of traffic lights seemed to separate the cars. We had a beautiful drive south; the sun was shining and the landscape was still green.
We stopped for a quick morning tea, and then headed into Breadbo. Some headed off to the investigate the classic architecture of the local pub, while others walked down to the Christmas Barn.
It was years since I was last there, and I was surprised at how well it was organised and how pleasant it was to browse.
Some of our WiR members organised lunch at the local community hall having brought all the food and drink from Canberra. So we arrived there to find it set up for an elaborate picnic lunch.
After a sumptuous lunch, we jumped into our cars for the trip back to Canberra.
A slideshow of the day is below. If you can't see the slideshow, click here.
Thank you to Wanda and all the other volunteers to made it such an enjoyable day.
.
.
The rally started off from Peter and Wanda's beautiful house in Duffy. The azaleas were in full bloom, and the weather was unexpectedly perfect, given the previous few days of wind and drizzle.
The event started with drinks at the house as people arrived for the outing. At about 10am we headed off in a convoy that progressively broke up as each set of traffic lights seemed to separate the cars. We had a beautiful drive south; the sun was shining and the landscape was still green.
We stopped for a quick morning tea, and then headed into Breadbo. Some headed off to the investigate the classic architecture of the local pub, while others walked down to the Christmas Barn.
It was years since I was last there, and I was surprised at how well it was organised and how pleasant it was to browse.
Some of our WiR members organised lunch at the local community hall having brought all the food and drink from Canberra. So we arrived there to find it set up for an elaborate picnic lunch.
After a sumptuous lunch, we jumped into our cars for the trip back to Canberra.
A slideshow of the day is below. If you can't see the slideshow, click here.
Thank you to Wanda and all the other volunteers to made it such an enjoyable day.
.
.
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Annual General Meeting 2014
Once again our AGM was held at the Brassey Hotel in Barton. It was remarkably well-attended.
After getting our names marked off by Maria at the door, we caught up with friends and sipped on champagne. There was a selection of Christine Waring hats for those perpetually looking for a new outfit.
The meeting started with Catherine outlining the activities and achievements over the past year. Mary then gave the Treasurer's report, and Sue gave a report on the various trips and events on the Women in Racing calendar.
Catherine announced that due for personal reasons she was standing down as President. This was met with disappointment by the members, and various people congratulated her on her past performance and wished her well.
Sue gave a brief run-down on how the Committee operated, with most planning for the year happening in February when the broad calendar of functions and trips were scheduled. She explained that despite their best plans, sometimes there were conflicts with other racing events, or proximity to public holidays that made it difficult for some people to attend. She also explained that at some times of the year, such as January and Easter, it was almost impossible to organise events so groups of members just arranged to meet at some town or racecourse for the day and she would help organise accommodation or transport for them.
Naomi and Vic gave an entertaining review of the recent trip to Lightning Ridge (the last one, ever). It was clear that everyone had a great time.
Rosie then gave a review of a recent trip that she, Mary, and Sue, took to the Hunter Valley. From all accounts it was a harrowing drive with Sue at the wheel and the others hanging on for grim life. They hadn't even realised that Gerd's car had a sports mode before then. She explained how much work went into planning one of our bus trips, and the need to sort out motels, meal locations, places to see, and things to do.
Mick James then announced the new Committee for the coming year.
"Other Business" was the final AGM agenda item, that there was a lively discussion about how the committee works and how we should establish some succession planning to ensure a smooth transition if any of the experienced Committee members left. It is clear that we have an effective team now.
Below is a slideshow of the day. If you can't see the slideshow then click here.
After the AGM ended, Christine Waring gave a talk about how accessories can produce different looks and expand you number of outfits. With the help of a model who was finalist in this year's Face of Canberra Racing, she explained how with just two dresses you could attend each of the major Melbourne Cup carnival race meetings, meeting the dress code of each provided you had the hats, gloves, and purses. Using Gerd as an assistant, she showed how nice girls dressed when accompanying an older man as his "niece".
Here are some photos of Christine's model, showing the various looks she was able to produce by changing the accessories.
Here is Gerd enjoying the company of his "niece".
A more fun look, also holding the raffle prize....
After getting our names marked off by Maria at the door, we caught up with friends and sipped on champagne. There was a selection of Christine Waring hats for those perpetually looking for a new outfit.
The meeting started with Catherine outlining the activities and achievements over the past year. Mary then gave the Treasurer's report, and Sue gave a report on the various trips and events on the Women in Racing calendar.
Catherine announced that due for personal reasons she was standing down as President. This was met with disappointment by the members, and various people congratulated her on her past performance and wished her well.
Sue gave a brief run-down on how the Committee operated, with most planning for the year happening in February when the broad calendar of functions and trips were scheduled. She explained that despite their best plans, sometimes there were conflicts with other racing events, or proximity to public holidays that made it difficult for some people to attend. She also explained that at some times of the year, such as January and Easter, it was almost impossible to organise events so groups of members just arranged to meet at some town or racecourse for the day and she would help organise accommodation or transport for them.
Naomi and Vic gave an entertaining review of the recent trip to Lightning Ridge (the last one, ever). It was clear that everyone had a great time.
Rosie then gave a review of a recent trip that she, Mary, and Sue, took to the Hunter Valley. From all accounts it was a harrowing drive with Sue at the wheel and the others hanging on for grim life. They hadn't even realised that Gerd's car had a sports mode before then. She explained how much work went into planning one of our bus trips, and the need to sort out motels, meal locations, places to see, and things to do.
Mick James then announced the new Committee for the coming year.
"Other Business" was the final AGM agenda item, that there was a lively discussion about how the committee works and how we should establish some succession planning to ensure a smooth transition if any of the experienced Committee members left. It is clear that we have an effective team now.
Below is a slideshow of the day. If you can't see the slideshow then click here.
After the AGM ended, Christine Waring gave a talk about how accessories can produce different looks and expand you number of outfits. With the help of a model who was finalist in this year's Face of Canberra Racing, she explained how with just two dresses you could attend each of the major Melbourne Cup carnival race meetings, meeting the dress code of each provided you had the hats, gloves, and purses. Using Gerd as an assistant, she showed how nice girls dressed when accompanying an older man as his "niece".
Here are some photos of Christine's model, showing the various looks she was able to produce by changing the accessories.
 |  |  |
Here is Gerd enjoying the company of his "niece".
A more fun look, also holding the raffle prize....
Sunday, July 13, 2014
A Spirited Brunch
Canberra's Women in Racing enthusiastically supported a fund-raising event recently at the National Museum of Australia. The event was in aid of an upcoming exhibition about the history of horses in Australia.
The event was a Brunch in one of the function rooms overlooking the lake.
We received a glass of champagne on arrival and mingled with the other guests. By far the majority were from Women in Racing.
After filling our plates from the buffet we listened to a very entertaining talk by Kirsten Wehner, Head Curator of the exhibition. A country girl herself, Kirsten spoke knowledgeably about horses and gave an overview of what is planned for the exhibition. She gave an insight to the preparations for the exhibition and the research that they had to do, including sourcing relevant exhibits. Some exhibits have required a great deal of repair and refurbishment, so when we see the actual exhibition we'll all appreciate the amount of work that has gone into it.
There was a fashion parade, and a calcutta-like event where they ran a newsreel of the 1965 Melbourne Cup. The winner picked up a great hat by Christine Waring. For those of you with a good memory, it was won by Light Fingers.
Photos of the day are below. If you can't see the slideshow, the click here.
.
.
The event was a Brunch in one of the function rooms overlooking the lake.
We received a glass of champagne on arrival and mingled with the other guests. By far the majority were from Women in Racing.
After filling our plates from the buffet we listened to a very entertaining talk by Kirsten Wehner, Head Curator of the exhibition. A country girl herself, Kirsten spoke knowledgeably about horses and gave an overview of what is planned for the exhibition. She gave an insight to the preparations for the exhibition and the research that they had to do, including sourcing relevant exhibits. Some exhibits have required a great deal of repair and refurbishment, so when we see the actual exhibition we'll all appreciate the amount of work that has gone into it.
There was a fashion parade, and a calcutta-like event where they ran a newsreel of the 1965 Melbourne Cup. The winner picked up a great hat by Christine Waring. For those of you with a good memory, it was won by Light Fingers.
Photos of the day are below. If you can't see the slideshow, the click here.
.
.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Games Afternoon
Once again we had a very successful games afternoon at the Brassey Hotel.
The theme this year was "masks", and everyone came prepared as you can see from the photos below. Unfortunately some of the masks were so good that I can't work out who's wearing them. So you'll have to try and work it out yourself.
Fuelled by a few drinks and afternoon tea, we battled through several rounds of quizzes, ranging from the history of horse racing, to geography, and pop music (of course - nothing after 1990), and 'who-am-I's.
At the end of the day, various prizes were handed out to the winning tables, ranging from Italian dinners, high tea, to do-it-yourself cocktail parties.
A great time was had by all.
If you can't see the slideshow below, click here.
.
.
The theme this year was "masks", and everyone came prepared as you can see from the photos below. Unfortunately some of the masks were so good that I can't work out who's wearing them. So you'll have to try and work it out yourself.
Fuelled by a few drinks and afternoon tea, we battled through several rounds of quizzes, ranging from the history of horse racing, to geography, and pop music (of course - nothing after 1990), and 'who-am-I's.
At the end of the day, various prizes were handed out to the winning tables, ranging from Italian dinners, high tea, to do-it-yourself cocktail parties.
A great time was had by all.
If you can't see the slideshow below, click here.
.
.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Capricorn Park
I think many of us have driven past Capricorn Park over the years on the way to and from Murrumbateman or Yass and wondered what it was like inside the gates. This month we got to find out.
Rob Potter is now training horses at Capricorn Park and offered to show us around.
We turned up at 9:30am and started with bubbles, of course, while we caught up with our friends. Rob gave us a brief history of the Park, and described the facilities.
After the talk, we headed off for a walk around the Park. We had a leisurely walk around until we found ourselves about 1km down the 1300m straight track. With the track heading off into the distance, we realised that once we got to the other end we'd just have to turn around and walk all the way back, so we decided to just turn around and head back. By that time, most people had also drained their wine glasses, so they were anxious for a refill. While everyone was dithering around, a few horses started trotting down the track, so there was a scramble for everyone to get onto the other side of the safety fence.
Eventually, we wandered back to the gardens where we had set up the BBQ. On the way, some of us walked over to the 9-hole golf course on the property that was just waiting for somebody to tee-off. But it was empty.
We had a guessing competition while we were waiting for lunch. Rob brought out a horse whose weight we had to guess. Surprisingly, Cathy Hart, a recent member of Women in Racing, estimated the weight exactly. We also had a wine tasting from Robert Oatley Wines, courtesy of Vic Cowlishaw, one of our WiR members.
Rob took us for a wander through the extensive facilities in Capricorn Park. We were surprised to see the large number of empty stalls and unused training equipment such as horse walkers and swimming pool. It was clear that the Park can hold many more horses than the 10 or 12 there currently.
After the wander, we enjoyed a great BBQ cooked by Gerd and Burl, with plenty of rolls and salad for self-made hamburgers.
The weather was great all day, and we all enjoyed the outing.
A slideshow is below. If you can't see it, click here.
.
.
Rob Potter is now training horses at Capricorn Park and offered to show us around.
We turned up at 9:30am and started with bubbles, of course, while we caught up with our friends. Rob gave us a brief history of the Park, and described the facilities.
After the talk, we headed off for a walk around the Park. We had a leisurely walk around until we found ourselves about 1km down the 1300m straight track. With the track heading off into the distance, we realised that once we got to the other end we'd just have to turn around and walk all the way back, so we decided to just turn around and head back. By that time, most people had also drained their wine glasses, so they were anxious for a refill. While everyone was dithering around, a few horses started trotting down the track, so there was a scramble for everyone to get onto the other side of the safety fence.
Eventually, we wandered back to the gardens where we had set up the BBQ. On the way, some of us walked over to the 9-hole golf course on the property that was just waiting for somebody to tee-off. But it was empty.
We had a guessing competition while we were waiting for lunch. Rob brought out a horse whose weight we had to guess. Surprisingly, Cathy Hart, a recent member of Women in Racing, estimated the weight exactly. We also had a wine tasting from Robert Oatley Wines, courtesy of Vic Cowlishaw, one of our WiR members.
Rob took us for a wander through the extensive facilities in Capricorn Park. We were surprised to see the large number of empty stalls and unused training equipment such as horse walkers and swimming pool. It was clear that the Park can hold many more horses than the 10 or 12 there currently.
After the wander, we enjoyed a great BBQ cooked by Gerd and Burl, with plenty of rolls and salad for self-made hamburgers.
The weather was great all day, and we all enjoyed the outing.
A slideshow is below. If you can't see it, click here.
.
.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Black Opal & Racing Hall of Fame Dinner
This year the running of the Black Opal coincided with the Racing Hall of Fame dinner. So it was also a tiring day - with the formal dinner following on only a few hours after the races finished for the day. Just enough time to get home, changed, and then back out of the house again.
For those interested in fashions, the slideshow below shows a few photos of the Myer Fashions on the Field competition followed by more from the Hall of Fame dinner.
The dinner was held at the National Gallery in the Parliamentary Triangle. It started with drinks outside where we met up with each other and tried to get photographed by the press photographers. While some of us were magnets for the media, unfortunately their editors were a bit blind, so they didn't include us in their publications.
Dinner was in a big function room, with large screens at both the back and the front of the room so that everyone was able to see the presentations on the stage and the audio-visual presentations that accompanied them. There were several trainers inducted into the Hall of Fame, and some horses, trainers, owners, and racecallers.
When famous racehorse Subzero was announced, to everyone's surprise Subzero was paraded into the courtyard outside. Many rushed outside to have their photos taken with the horse. This was difficult unless you pushed Karyn away from it first. Unfortunately they also didn't cover any of this in the television coverage.
We had a very pleasant 3 course meal with plenty of wine all round. Except for us "designated drivers", of course.
A great time was had by all, with everything over by about 11 pm.
If you can't see the slideshow below, click here.
.
.
For those interested in fashions, the slideshow below shows a few photos of the Myer Fashions on the Field competition followed by more from the Hall of Fame dinner.
The dinner was held at the National Gallery in the Parliamentary Triangle. It started with drinks outside where we met up with each other and tried to get photographed by the press photographers. While some of us were magnets for the media, unfortunately their editors were a bit blind, so they didn't include us in their publications.
Dinner was in a big function room, with large screens at both the back and the front of the room so that everyone was able to see the presentations on the stage and the audio-visual presentations that accompanied them. There were several trainers inducted into the Hall of Fame, and some horses, trainers, owners, and racecallers.
When famous racehorse Subzero was announced, to everyone's surprise Subzero was paraded into the courtyard outside. Many rushed outside to have their photos taken with the horse. This was difficult unless you pushed Karyn away from it first. Unfortunately they also didn't cover any of this in the television coverage.
We had a very pleasant 3 course meal with plenty of wine all round. Except for us "designated drivers", of course.
A great time was had by all, with everything over by about 11 pm.
If you can't see the slideshow below, click here.
.
.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Members' Lunch 2014
One of the regular events on the Women in Racing calendar is the annual Members' Lunch. This is a highly-subsidised event that allows members the opportunity to get together and enjoy a fine lunch while watching the races.
As in previous years, we had several visitors: Neroli and John Bevan from Lightning Ridge, Brook Holland, the Lightning Ridge Opal Queen, Dalys Whipp, winner of the 2014 Narooma Cup Fashions on the Field, and Clare Arthur, winner of the 2014 Harden Cup Fashions on the Field.
On the evening before the Members' Lunch, the Committee took our guests for a trip around Lake Burley Griffin. They had planned a BBQ onboard the boat, but the Captain suggested that they moor at Springbank Island and set up the tables on the pier. It was a beautiful evening, and we had BBQ while we watched the sun go down. Unfortunately, when the sun went down the temperature also went down by at least 10 degrees. So by the time we docked it felt like we were in Antarctica instead of Canberra. I think that it was particularly hard on the Lightning Ridge folks!
At the racecourse on Sunday, the day started off with Catherine introducing Dr Chris Ward, Chairman of the Canberra Racing Club. He spoke about the ongoing success of Canberra racing, and thanked Women In Racing for being so supportive of racing here in Canberra.
We also had the opportunity to welcome several new members: Jill McDonnell, Lanha Kaltenthaler, Jill Mann, and Rachael Henson.
During the afternoon we had our own Fashions on the Field competition, judged by Jan Palmer with our guests Dalys and Brook. There were competitions for Best Lady, Best Man, Best Couple, Best Hat, Best Tie, and Best Shoes.
At the end of the afternoon we went outside for the judging of the Myer Face of Racing that was held on the stage directly in front of where we were in Silks Restaurant.
Pictures of the day are below. As usual, if you can't see the slideshow, click here.
.
.
As in previous years, we had several visitors: Neroli and John Bevan from Lightning Ridge, Brook Holland, the Lightning Ridge Opal Queen, Dalys Whipp, winner of the 2014 Narooma Cup Fashions on the Field, and Clare Arthur, winner of the 2014 Harden Cup Fashions on the Field.
On the evening before the Members' Lunch, the Committee took our guests for a trip around Lake Burley Griffin. They had planned a BBQ onboard the boat, but the Captain suggested that they moor at Springbank Island and set up the tables on the pier. It was a beautiful evening, and we had BBQ while we watched the sun go down. Unfortunately, when the sun went down the temperature also went down by at least 10 degrees. So by the time we docked it felt like we were in Antarctica instead of Canberra. I think that it was particularly hard on the Lightning Ridge folks!
At the racecourse on Sunday, the day started off with Catherine introducing Dr Chris Ward, Chairman of the Canberra Racing Club. He spoke about the ongoing success of Canberra racing, and thanked Women In Racing for being so supportive of racing here in Canberra.
We also had the opportunity to welcome several new members: Jill McDonnell, Lanha Kaltenthaler, Jill Mann, and Rachael Henson.
During the afternoon we had our own Fashions on the Field competition, judged by Jan Palmer with our guests Dalys and Brook. There were competitions for Best Lady, Best Man, Best Couple, Best Hat, Best Tie, and Best Shoes.
At the end of the afternoon we went outside for the judging of the Myer Face of Racing that was held on the stage directly in front of where we were in Silks Restaurant.
Pictures of the day are below. As usual, if you can't see the slideshow, click here.
.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Australia Day Breakfast
To celebrate Australia Day this year, Sue and Gerd hosted a breakfast function at their house.
It was a great day for it, and unlike the previous few weeks where we had been suffering a heatwave, the day was sunny and mild.
We started with champagne in the back yard before moving inside for breakfast. There were tables set out throughout the house to seat the large number of people who attended, with the tables arrayed with various items of Australiana such as jars of Vegemite.
We were served a hearty breakfast and had a great time, lubricated with either champagne or tea and coffee. Mid-morning, many people drifted off because they had other things to do, but a solid contingent continued because they hadn't run out of champagne. Breakfast became lunch (toasted cheese and tomato sandwiches), and then became afternoon tea (after a quick trip to the grog shop to top up the supply of champagne). Sue even found a bottle of Passion Pop in the cupboard, but unfortunately it wasn't cold. I think she was saving it for a special occasion.
Philippa got all creative with some table decorations, and I suspect she'll now have a new line in hats. Although looking at the photos, maybe not. You be the judge.
Photos of the day are below. If you can't see the slideshow, click here.
.
.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Moruya 2014
We had a great trip to the Moruya races again this year. It was very pleasant weather, about 25 degrees with a light sea-breeze - a nice change from the heat of Canberra.
We arrived at the racecourse and were shown to the Sponsors area. Disappointingly, a TAB caravan was parked directly in front, obscuring the racecourse from view. We were unable to get it moved, but we've been assured that it won't happen next year - I suspect that Sue has requested that the Moruya committee lie down in front of the Sponsors area to protect the area from TAB vans.
We had a great lunch and a very generous allowance for drinks - I doubt that anyone actually reached their limit. Although some people (who will remain anonymous) tried very hard.
Once again Women in Racing had the honour of selecting the Fashions on the Field winners. However, before selecting the winner it was necessary to cull the hopeful competitors down to about 10 finalists who would be the ones to stand on the stage. Rosie, Philippa, and Val had the task of whittling them down earlier on in the afternoon. The men were told that this year, anyone with a beer in their hand was immediate elimination, and it was good to see no drunken fools on stage.
The girls picked the best of a stylish bunch, and the final competition went without a hitch, with the winners being popular with the crowd.
A slideshow of the day is below. If you can't see it, then just click here to see the photos.
.
.
We arrived at the racecourse and were shown to the Sponsors area. Disappointingly, a TAB caravan was parked directly in front, obscuring the racecourse from view. We were unable to get it moved, but we've been assured that it won't happen next year - I suspect that Sue has requested that the Moruya committee lie down in front of the Sponsors area to protect the area from TAB vans.
We had a great lunch and a very generous allowance for drinks - I doubt that anyone actually reached their limit. Although some people (who will remain anonymous) tried very hard.
Once again Women in Racing had the honour of selecting the Fashions on the Field winners. However, before selecting the winner it was necessary to cull the hopeful competitors down to about 10 finalists who would be the ones to stand on the stage. Rosie, Philippa, and Val had the task of whittling them down earlier on in the afternoon. The men were told that this year, anyone with a beer in their hand was immediate elimination, and it was good to see no drunken fools on stage.
The girls picked the best of a stylish bunch, and the final competition went without a hitch, with the winners being popular with the crowd.
A slideshow of the day is below. If you can't see it, then just click here to see the photos.
.
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)