We have earned Cup Day

THERE hasn’t been much to cheer about since the coronavirus pandemic gripped the nation earlier this year.

The deadly virus has put a halt to all the things Aussies have come to take for granted, like dining out with friends and socialising with colleagues.

It has also been the death knell for the myriad events locals enjoy attending and participating in each year.

But today a smaller-than-usual crowd will gather at the racetrack for the Townsville Cup in what will be our first taste of real life since COVID struck.

Cup Day is cause to celebrate because up here in North Queensland, we have been relatively well behaved, which is why we can have a Cup Day at all.

While Melburnians have been thrust back into strict lockdown conditions after a second wave struck, Queensland, and North Queensland in particular, is trying to get on with things as best it can.

Many were quick to criticise Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk when she shut down Queensland’s border to neighbouring states, including some heavy-hitting TV personalities.

It was an unpopular decision the first time around and not much more palatable the second time, largely because of the hit to tourism.

Queensland’s tourism sector is in a world of hurt and will need the financial backing of both state and federal governments into the future, however the Premier’s decision has proven to be the best for the majority of the state.

Instead of suffering under lingering lockdowns, Queenslanders are beginning to see a light at the end of the dark tunnel and the Townsville Cup is proof of this.

Coronavirus has forced organisations to rethink how they conduct business, and some things may never go back to how they were before. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different.

There’s no doubting we still need to be vigilant and abide by social distancing rules but maybe today we can let our hair down a little and give ourselves a welldeserved pat on the back.