Reefton Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 https://www.racingnews.co.nz/life-is-a-picnic/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mardigras Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Yep, been to the picnics at Buchan. Absolutely brilliant. Sit under a tree right beside the basic parade ring. Walk up to the makeshift bar where they will sell you a beer straight out of a bathtub filled with ice. And cheap ($2 when I was there). And thousands on course having a blast. Buchan is probably one of the bigger ones - and it would get more people than practically every single gallops meeting in NZ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Sounds great. One year I was at Kurow the footy club ran the bar....not sure if they still do. Just another example of how we have completely dropped the ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Picnic or non-tote racing was an introduction for many. Local businesses donated little prizes . The likes -in the north- of Helensville, Kariotahi, Pirongia, Kerepehi etc. Many top flight gallopers kicked off at these meetings and most importantly thousands of people of all ages got their first involvement in racing and caught the bug. Some say H &S are to blame for the demise but that cannot be true when the likes of Rodeo and Polo [and heaps of other examples] continue. It seems to me to just be lazy buggers at NZTR that have pulled the rug from grass roots racing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 (edited) 6 minutes ago, Fred said: It seems to me to just be lazy buggers at NZTR that have pulled the rug from grass roots racing. Lazy and poorly-informed. What is the worst, is that they seem to have no interest in being informed correctly. Everyone makes mistakes - my old man used to say, those who never made a mistake never made anything. There is no disgrace in getting something wrong, as long as one can accept one's error, and make a genuine attempt to put it right. But they don't. Edited March 2, 2020 by Freda 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curious Posted March 2, 2020 Share Posted March 2, 2020 Went to my first race meeting at Amberley. Not sure how old I was. 5 or 6 maybe. Equalisator picnic meeting then. Sat on the grass and picniced. Grandpa went and put the bets on. Went home with my first half crown. Hooked! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 On 3/03/2020 at 9:09 AM, Freda said: Sounds great. One year I was at Kurow the footy club ran the bar....not sure if they still do. Just another example of how we have completely dropped the ball. Had the ball ripped from our arms , eye gouged ,rucked in the nether regions and head high tackled more like it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 On 3/03/2020 at 10:11 AM, Freda said: Lazy and poorly-informed. What is the worst, is that they seem to have no interest in being informed correctly. Everyone makes mistakes - my old man used to say, those who never made a mistake never made anything. There is no disgrace in getting something wrong, as long as one can accept one's error, and make a genuine attempt to put it right. But they don't. It's being absolutely ruined by them at the moment, continues steadfastly on a slippery slope and they continue to listen to the geniuses that contributed to getting them into this mess for a solution. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 I heard bits of Winston on the news last night, missed part of it, but - he still keeps plying the same line that all these small courses are not sustainable. He is just blind to the real facts surrounding so many of these clubs. I know Reefton supplied figures to [ I think ] NZTR to show that they, at least, were not a financial drag, but it just goes nowhere. A Hokitika office-holder, a former NZ First member who knew Winston well, had much dialogue with him earlier and was deluded into thinking that Winston would see reason and not require their track to be closed...but to no avail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huey Posted March 4, 2020 Share Posted March 4, 2020 31 minutes ago, Freda said: I heard bits of Winston on the news last night, missed part of it, but - he still keeps plying the same line that all these small courses are not sustainable. He is just blind to the real facts surrounding so many of these clubs. I know Reefton supplied figures to [ I think ] NZTR to show that they, at least, were not a financial drag, but it just goes nowhere. A Hokitika office-holder, a former NZ First member who knew Winston well, had much dialogue with him earlier and was deluded into thinking that Winston would see reason and not require their track to be closed...but to no avail. The average joe blogg in racing believes it Freda , cause they are led to believe that RITA/ NZTR etc are putting up resources to fund these race courses , when we all know that simply is not the case and hasn't been for a long time if ever. What he should be saying is "the preferred racecourses and racing administrators are not sustainable should we not be able to sell up the self sustainable racecourses." 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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