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By HARRY CLARKE
AS AN event which has been running since 1901, attending the Roma Picnic Races is always a trip down memory lane.
That was especially the case this year for Bill and Sally Nutting, a Brisbane couple who met at the event 30 years go and yesterday celebrated the anniversary of their meeting back where it all started, alongside 60 of their nearest and dearest.
“We met here in 1993 and we returned the following year, but we’ve haven’t been since – we started having children and things got busy,” Sally said.
“We decided that 30 years was a good time to return, so we asked 60 of our closest friends to come out and they all said yes. We’re having a fabulous day catching up everyone, talking about the old times over the last 30 years.”
Bill said: “I can still remember exactly when I met Sally at the bar just here. I was dressed in moleskins and RMs and pretending to be a country boy, which course I wasn’t.”
Was it love at first site? the Caller asked, to which Sally replied “No”. But their relationship apparently blossomed quite quickly after that.
The couple were married six weeks after the 1993 Roma Picnic Races. Today they have two adult sons. Sally has retired from a career in education while Bill runs a successful timber and hardware business in Brisbane.
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The Nuttings were crowd favourites in the Fashions on the Field, having been “conned into entering” by their friends, and were runners up in the Best Dressed Couple division.
They sponsored the last race of the day, which was aptly named the When Bill Met Sally Anniversary Ladies Bracelet Open Handicap, and in a symbol of the joyous occasion, a vibrant rainbow appeared as they presented the winning prize to the Wayne Baker stable, which took out the race with 7yo gelding PARKO.
Crowd numbers were noticeably down to about 2,000 at Bassett Park on Saturday but punters were no less enthusiastic than usual. A bit of relief at the bar queue during peak hours was widely welcomed.
Local trainer Craig Smith and jockey Liv O’Donnell dominated the five race program, pairing up to win the Hall Chadwick Charted Accountants QTIS Maiden Plate and the Club Hotel Roma Benchmark 55 Handicap with ROCKYMYDOLLER and COUNTRY BOYZ respectively.
Smith also took out the Morgans Mazars Roma Picnics Class 3 Plate with WINNEBA.
Jockey Sophie Wilcock said she wasn’t surprised the BETTER THAN READY filly dominated with a three-length win.
“She was always going to be hard to beat in that race. You’ve just got to leave her alone. She’s not got the best breathing so you’ve got to make sure she’s travelling comfortably. She got a cruisy run and finished off nicely at the end,” Wilcock said.
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“You never like to be too cocky as a jockey but you definitely have to have the confidence, and I did have the confidence that she was going to win this time.”
Smith said of his stable’s success: “I love the Roma Picnics. I’ve been here as a trainer for 34 or 35 years now, and it’s good to get winners on these sorts of days. There’s good prize money and good country crowds.
“I was pretty confident with that filly. She won well here five or six weeks ago and handles the track well. She’s got the speed and she was well weighted today.”
In the fashion stakes it was seasoned campaigner Alice Wilkie from Brisbane who took out the coveted Best Contemporary Lady division with a dress by Mackeznie Mode and headwear by Millinery By Mel in the Western Truck Group Fashions on Field, which had a prize pool valued at $15,000.
“I just wanted something bright and colourful because that’s my normal style, and I also love supporting Mel, who lives in Mount Isa,” Wilkie said.
“I go to a lot of race meetings for Fashions and this is only my second win, so I’m feeling very privileged. I love all the people here. Everyone is cheering everyone on. It’s beautiful.”
Watching on was Roma-based Warrego MP and bush racing veteran Ann Leahy, who said her home town Picnic Races was her favourite meeting of the year.
“Roma Picnic Races is just a classic country race meeting where you have a lot of fun and you catch up with a lot of people. It’s the biggest social event of the year.
“I go to a lot of race meetings. It’s a great opportunity to talk to people when they’re relaxed and to have a bit more of a chat. And of course the event contributes a lot to the economy of our town.”
SLIDESHOW – Happy snaps from the 2023 Roma Picnic Races
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The century old constitution of the Roma Picnic Races states that presidents must serve for two years before handing over the reins, meaning current presidents Andrew and Sarah Harland will now make way for Rohan and Sarah Parkinson.
The Parkinsons run a family beef and grains operation at Dulacca but have strong ties to Roma. Sarah was born and bred in the town and her family still lives there, while Rohan hails originally from Cunnamulla.
He said he and his wife were proud to be in charge of the Roma Picnic Races for the events in 2024 and 2025.
“It’s a fairly prestigious race meeting, running for over a hundred years, so to be on the committee is an honour and a privilege” Parkinson said.
“It’s a great community and we’re happy to be a part of it and definitely want to help out. It’s a lot to organise but that’s part of the fun. We just want to maintain the crowds and keep making it a great local event.”
