Oodnadatta Race Club - Recent Events

Success is making the Oodnadatta Race Club committee smile. 350 people attended the mid May weekend of horse racing, gymkhana events, camel races, motorcycle and novelty events that saw gross takings of $27,000.00. Ribbons, trophies, and prizes went to local and visiting competitors of all ages and abilities.

The dedicated race committee, currently under the leadership of Andrew Clarke, prepared the new pavilion and a playground at the racetrack for a grand opening. Memorabilia and photo displays covering the inside shed walls showed the history of the club, thought to be the oldest outback picnic races in Australia. On a sunny Saturday, the Chief Executive Officer of Tourism SA, Mr Bill Spurr, and former Welbourne Hill pastoralist, Mr Ernie Giles cut the red ribbon to officially open the facilities. Ernie said that a lack of rum reduced his enthusiasm for a long ramble on the microphone.

Click here to Download Poster

Former residents turned up with photographs, racing cups, memories, jockey boots, ball gowns and whips to share on the weekend. Robyn and Ben Greenwood of Streaky Bay, formerly Oodnadatta, helped with the displays of their donated photos and the well-known Kempe girls from Mt Barry and Macumba Stations in the 1960s, brought albums of memories. Former Oodnadatta resident Mona Hunter travelled from Alice Springs , picking up old- timer and former jockey Brad Russell from Marla on the way.

A colorful fun addition to this year’s meeting was the Oodnadatta Health Information Day organized by local Nursing Sister Sinead de Poer. Assisted by Sr Ingrid Dobie and Donna and Bobby Bailes, and funded by Cervical Screen SA, Sinead and the team focused on safe sex and women’s health issues. To push the message, they gave away condoms, nail files, balloons, food vouchers, and education packages and sold raffle tickets.

Local artists displayed their works on the new pavilion walls for an art competition funded by Whyalla Rural and Remote Health. First prize of $500.00 went to Christine Lennon, and Patrick Walker and Bridget Klembt shared second prize winning $250.00 each. All submitted paintings and drawings in an indigenous style. As an added bonus, Oodnadatta school student Patrick sold his painting to a race time visitor.

Father Paul Burke from Whyalla, formerly from Coober Pedy, conducted a moving memorial service for Patsie Williams of Mt Barry Station. Patsie was a very active Oodnadatta race club member and held the treasurer’ s position for many years. She died in April, aged 47, after a long battle with cancer. Her husband Tony and three children Elizabeth (Woody), Patrick and Todd were among those attending the service.

Old photos showed the ramshackle, tiny sheds that served the race track since the war. On dusty, windy or wet days visitors praise the protection of the big, new shed with its roller doors, big kitchen, bar, dance area and adjoining new toilets and showers fit for a caravan park. The quiet new generator purrs and we can now dance late into the night under lights. The upgrade of the clubs facilities has only been made possibly by the generous support of Tourism SA and the South Australian Tourism Minister, Jane Lomax Smith along with the Mr Bill Spurr, CEO of Tourism SA. Other contributors have been Outback Areas Trust and Northern Regional Development Board without their support we would not be racing outback in such style!

In a well-kept secret, Life membership was awarded to a surprised Gerry and Eddie Nunn of Macumba Station and Douglas Lillecrapp of Todmorden Station. Eddie and Gerry have served in executive positions for many years. Eddie was last years President and Gerry continues in the secretarial role today in a wide range of tasks like posting out 200 racing programs, designing the commemorative plaque and organizing the bar roster. They are keen racing competitors and form part of the Macumba Syndicate. Douglas Lillecrapp is a long-term committee member and the organizer of the gymkhana events on race weekend for many years..

Gerry and Eddie Nunn of Macumba Station

Douglas Lillecrapp of Todmorden Station

President Andrew Clarke commented there were just enough horses at the races, around 13, say 3 or 4 in each race, to enthuse the crowd and create the atmosphere at the outback race meeting.

The Saturday night dance in the new pavilion featuring the popular BC Boys, the Sunday lunchtime kids events on the race track, old favourites like throw the bullock tail and the iron person competition, foot and motorcycle races and kids and adults in gymkhana events all added to the flavour of the weekend. Andrew noted the contributions of the younger members of the race club, assisting at the bar, selling raffle tickets and more.

Weekends such as these are not possible without the support of the clubs sponsors. Thank you to CMV for their generous donation for the CMV Foundation Angus Crawford Memorial Cup, all those people, both local and outside the district, who prepared race and gymkhana horses for the weekend.

Most of all the members of the committee, Vinnie Williams for running the bar, Helen Williams the treasurer, Stephanie Sims the publicity officer, Gerry Nunn the secretary, the Williams families for many hours of preparation and race day assistance, Sean Kirkpatrick for photographs, Phil Gee for supplying the camels, Normie Sims the Starter, Progress Association members Des Coffey and Adam Plate, and Eddie Nunn and Normie Sims for supervising the camels. He says thanks to all the volunteers and club members for hours of toil to make us proud of our race club.

I would like to invite you to our next big event - the South Australian ABC Radio Country Hour Road Show combining with Bronco Branding & Campdraft in Oodnadatta on Friday July 15 th and Saturday July 16 th. The ABC will broadcast all day from Oodnadatta, click here for more information on this one off outback event.