Community & Business
2 November, 2020
Mareeba Hospital waiting on Melbourne Cup winner
After the running of this year’s Melbourne Cup, The Mareeba Hospital foundation could be $50,000 richer.
In September the Mareeba Turf Club held a virtual visit from the actual Melbourne cup.
When applying to have the Melbourne cup come to Mareeba, The Mareeba Turf Club had to nominate a charity which would benefit from the $50,000 prize being offered
Secretary and Treasurer of the Mareeba Turf club Rhonda Stevens said that each year the Melbourne Cup does a tour of country race clubs and The Friends of The Mareeba Hospital Foundation was the local charity nominated.
“For the last couple of years the Victorian racing club has organised for the Melbourne cup to go on a tour around Australia, and because there are 24 barriers they visit 24 regional race clubs,” she said.
“You have to apply and explain why the Melbourne cup should come to your town and we were lucky enough that we nominated as one of the 24 but due to COVID we had to have a virtual tour.”
The Victorian turf club allocates one barrier to each of the 24 country race clubs and if that barriers horse wins the Melbourne cup the nominated charity wins $50,000
“We picked The Friends of The Mareeba Hospital Foundation were because we believed it would benefit the whole community,” Ms Stevens said.
Last week the Victorian turf club announced that the Mareeba Turf club had secured barrier 15.
On Saturday night’s barrier draw, Verry Elleegant was picked to start from barrier 15
The 5-year-old mare from New Zealand won the 2020 Caulfield Cup in October and has won more than 6.8 million dollars in prize money and is one the early favourites to win this year’s Melbourne Cup.
If Verry Elleegant wins, the Friends of the Mareeba Hospital Foundation will be awarded $50,000 from the Victoria Turf club.
Neil Setford President of Mareeba Friends of the Hospital Foundation said the money would go to expanding gynaecological services at the Mareeba Hospital.
“If there are women in Dimbulah or Chillagoe and they need gynaecological services, with this money they wouldn’t need to go all the way to Cairns, they could instead go to the Mareeba Hospital,” he said.
“The money is desperately needed by the hospital and we can’t wait to see if Verry Elleegant will not only win the cup but also help us here in Mareeba.”
