Glorious sunshine & a friendly atmosphere greeted race enthusiasts for the 116th Annual Oodnadatta Races & Gymkhana in the far north of SA. The crowd was a cosmopolitan blend of local pastoralists, former residents of the area, town's people, business representatives & interstate travellers along with a solid field of weekend competitors.

Saturday morning kick starts the weekend allowing up & coming horse riders an opportunity to show their skills. It was great to saw young Laura Greenfield, Billa Kallina Station take home the trophy for Champion Rider 15yrs & Under (Assisted). The Greenfield family with their 3 little girls are great supporters of the gymkhana circuit and it is no doubt that little Laura will have many more trophy's to add to her collection in the coming years.

Champion Rider 15yrs & Under (Un Assisted) was Chloe Nunn, Macumba Station.

Chloe has consistently performed over the years on the Far North gymkhana circuit and it seems that with another championship win under her belt she is laying solid foundations that will enable her to move through to the adult ranks with relative ease.

With the children events completed by lunchtime, racehorses were in the saddling enclosure ready to make their way to the starting gates to commence the first race event of the day.

Bush racing is slowly fading and event organisers gratefully acknowledge the commitment shown by the families that follow the bush racing circuit. One family in particular who support many of the bush races is that of the Gower family, Orroroo. Helen & Daryl along with their children Tom and little Rebecca travel the bush circuits working collectively as a family to produce some of the finest horses to run the bush tracks in this present day.

The Gower Family took home the winnings in the feature event of the racing programme and that race was the 'Patsie Williams Memorial Cup' with the Gower's collecting $2500 for their efforts.

The trophy cup was presented by Patsie Williams husband Tony along with their children, Elizabeth (Woody), Patrick & Todd. Trophy Whips were also presented to the jockey of the cup winner and that was Helen Gower.

For those readers who did not know Patsie Williams (nee Nunn), she was a woman of the outback!

Born in QLD, initially raised at Anna Creek & later spent her teen years at Nilpinna - where her father & mother managed the property on behalf of the Williams family of Carrieton. It is at Nilpinna that she meets her sweet heart, Tony Williams. Tony & Patsie made a life at MT Barry, raising & educating a young family is by no means a small feat and along the way she still had time to pursue numerous other community interests.

Effectively, Patsie never left the Outback - the passion Patsie had for her family, her home and the Oodnadatta Race Club never waned and Race 7, the 'Patsie Williams Memorial Cup' was held to honour the premature passing of this unique woman!

The total purse winnings would have been substantial for the Gower family and made the trip north well worth their while. The Gower family would have felt quite satisfied with their winning streak on the weekend - 8 wins from 8 starts!

Saturday night allowed an opportunity of Thanks by local Oodnadatta Progress Assoc President, Adam Plate. Community Service awards were presented to McArdle Freight for their freight service in the Far North that allows local residents and surrounding station communities a weekly freight service that would be hard to beat in the outback regions of SA.

Another award presented was to the Coffey family in appreciation to their long-term service commitment to Oodnadatta, which has spanned over 30years.The award was warmly received by Lucy Coffey. Club President, Andrew Clarke presented the Leading Race Horse trainer trophy which was convincingly won by Helen & Daryl Gower and to cap off a successful weekend, Helen was awarded Leading Jockey.

With formalities over well-known band 'BC Boys' rocked the walls of the Pavilion until the wee hours of the morning. The evening was pleasant & friendly and for those who found inside a little on the loud side the bar area and wood fires offered quiet respite which allowed for opportunities to catch up with new & old friends over a few drinks.

With another sunny day on 'Gymkhana Day' and with 25 Events on the Sunday programme it is a busy day for organisers to keep the events moving along smoothly. It was great to see the Curnow family of Coober Pedy competing once more at Oodnadatta. The Curnow's would be one of those rare families that you see all members (except Anne) riding in the same competition. It is not unusual to see Tom (Dad) along with his son Matt and daughter Amy in a final of one of the many events.

Anne (Mum) is an avid photographer who has captured some great action shots on weekends such as Oodnadatta - not only of her family but also of the other riders competing. So it was quite fitting to see Matt Curnow win Champion Adult Gymkhana Rider and his trusty grey pony, Thunderhead as Champion Gymkhana Horse! A great effort for Matt who these days can be found at Anna Creek where as Head Stockman runs the stock camp on the worlds largest cattle stations.

Congratulations must also go to the other winners of the weekend not forgetting minor placegetters & those competitors who did not receive a place but made the competition engaging for those spectators on the sidelines.

In closing, the committee would like to gratefully acknowledge the weekend's major sponsors,

• Elders Limited, Adelaide & Alice Springs
• CMV Foundation Group, Fujitsu General (Aust) Limited, McArdle Freight,
• Mr Kerry Gum, S Kidman, Macumba Station

Adelaide Galvanising, Bungala Aboriginal Corporation, Dunjiba Community Council, Fire Equipment Maintenance Group, Moyston & Evelyn Nicholls, Neales River Livestock, Oodnadatta Store, Parnell Mogas, Pink Roadhouse, Senturion Steel, Todmorden Cattle Company, Transcontinental Hotel,

Thanks also go to those members who assisted in the lead up to the event as well as those who volunteered their time on the race weekend. With another race weekend over, we look forward to 2007 where the races will coincide with the start of the Great Australian Outback Cattle Drive on May 5th & 6th.

Australian Major Events have relocated the internationally marketed event to the Oodnadatta Track.

So, if you happen to be free in May, roll your swags, grab a carload of friends and head up the Oodnadatta Track and help us celebrate this premier event for 2007.

For further information regarding the 2007 Oodnadatta Races & Gymkhana visit www.oodnadattaraceclub.org.au and click 'Events' and experience this unique event for your self!

D Clarke