All the hard work that Mudgee Race Club put into Sunday’s XXXX Cup has paid off massively.

Not only was it a seven-race meet, it was a free day for the region’s farmers to take a load off and forget about any drought-related struggles.

“We couldn’t fit another farmer in here,” said Mudgee Race Club organiser Colleen Walker.

“The rooms were full, the verandah was full, and the atmosphere was amazing.

“It was very pleasing and the best part about the day was all the laughter and the smiles.”

Although a strong turnout was always expected, Colleen was mindful of how preoccupied a lot of the farmers and their families would be over the weekend.

“It does take some time for them to come out,” she said.

“Because they’ve been feeding and handling the drought… it’s very time consuming.

“But all the farmers shared stories and talked to each other and there was a lot of laughter.”

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It was clear how positively the event impacted a lot of the farmers who went, but it was particularly apparent with one, happy individual.

“One gentleman in particular said it just lifted him. He needed it,” she said.

“He had to put some of his stock down the day before because of the drought.

“We felt so thankful that the day made such a difference for someone. That’s all we wanted was for them to come out and enjoy the day.”

Although rain was a possibility on the day, and would have been welcomed, the weather was ‘magical’ and everyone was on the lawn ‘soaking up the sun.” 

A couple of event attractions included musicians Paul Costa and Jess Holland who were at their dazzling best. “They’re both absolute professional – truly, truly… Jess and Paul did a duet and it was magic,” Colleen said.

“They were there for the people. They say true blue for the farmers. It was one of the better days of entertainment and we had great racing too.

“And the families… the kids never stopped on the rides and playing games and getting their face painted. It was just wonderful.”

Something that never ceases to amaze Colleen is the generosity shown by certain individuals. A woman, who wished to remain anonymous, visited the event from the coast and came with ten $50 Coles vouchers that she handed out to some farmers.

“People never stop wanting to help. They never stop thinking of what they can do.”

“Even the manager of De Costi, who provided a lot of the food on the day, was helping out with the serving of the food and the cleaning.”