Cherished races memories

AS I read the articles in Saturday’s Weekend Post, I cast my mind back 61 years, to the first meeting of the Cairns Amateur Races in September 1959.

The Far North Queensland Amateur Turf Club was formed as a means of bringing together town and country folk living in Far North Queensland. The atmosphere of the first meeting was far different to the atmosphere of today’s meeting, but it was nevertheless just as joyous. The ladies were robed just as fashionably as today, the men wore suits; the members’ area was alongside the winning post, with tables and chairs spread about the shady trees; there was plentiful afternoon tea with an adjacent bar. There were no private booths or tents like there is now, and there were no luncheon pavilions operated by public companies.

Over the years the face of the meeting has changed. The connection between town and country seems to have been lost, which I regret. The crowd in attendance has grown enormously. The horses are all trained by professional trainers and the jockeys are also professional jockeys. The use of the word “Amateur“in the name is something of a misnomer.

The changes have been necessary for financial reasons, but I for one look back with cherished memories. Harold Westaway, Earlville PRIVACY POLICY: Our privacy policy www.apnarm.com.au/privacy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.