Back O’Bourke Picnic Races — Lend a hand — or lose theBourke O’Bourke Race Meeting
The Back O’Bourke Picnic Race Club is sending out an SOS – for more people!
Race Club President, Frank Kerr, said unless the positions of treasurer and secretary could be filled this month, there was the very real risk that next year’s race meeting would have to be cancelled.
The Back O’Bourke Picnic Races is the highlight of the Bourke Easter Festival, and the loss of that event would be a huge blow to the entire Easter weekend and the boost it brings to Bourke’s local economy.
An annual general meeting was held last week to elect the new committee, but President Frank Kerr said it was a disappointing turnout and the key positions of treasurer and secretary as well as the assistant roles, remain vacant.
“Yes, it was disappointing; we had expected some new faces to turn up and take on some of those positions,” Frank said.
“We have filled some of the roles and I will remain President until I’m voted out because I enjoy it so much, but we need new people from the community to come on board.
“Sarah Barton has been club secretary for eight or nine years and is stepping down to spend more time with her family, but will remain on board to help, and Ben Nott was vice president, and he is also stepping down.
“We are very lucky that we can fall back on people like have Phillip Ridge who has a lot of experience as a race club man, and his son Richard, but we need to fill those two important roles, or we will have to cancel.
“I can say it is a lot of fun to be involved, you meet some great people.
“But without those roles being filled there will be no 2023 Back O’Bourke Picnic Races, and that would be a shame to see it fold after eight or nine years of hard work and dedication.
“We don’t want that to happen, we want new people to give us a hand,” Frank said.
The next committee meeting will be at the Bourke Bowling Club on Tuesday, December 6 where the committee will again try and fill those positions.
“They have to be filled by then to get the right paperwork on the books in order for next year’s event,” Frank said.
“The big day is April 9, Easter Sunday and we really want the races to go ahead, we don’t want to cancel, and we are calling on people from the community to lend a hand.”
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