ORGANISING a race meeting and knowing more than 5000 people will turn up is not an exercise for the faint-hearted.

Each year at Christmas time, Moree Race Club holds the biggest race meeting of the year.

Locals, visitors and tourists flock to the Moree track for a huge day of racing, rejoicing and catching up with friends, family and acquaintances.

And each year, the logistics of putting the whole show together gets bigger and bigger.

It’s a mammoth task for a small committee, and that’s where local organisations, charitable groups and service providers enter the fold.

This week, Moree Race Club thanked the many volunteer groups who chipped in and helped organise the race-day with a collective $13,000 donation.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Moree Support Group, whose members manned the drink-ticket stations for the duration of the meeting, received $10,000.

Volunteers from the Pallamallawa Public School P&C managed main entrance operations and Moree Rural Fire Service volunteers co-ordinated external car-parking and traffic control.

Also last year, at the Fathers’ Day Moree Cup meeting, Moree Gwydir Industries staff and clients manned the main entrance.

These organisations each received $1000.

At back (from left) MRC committeeman Jock Jones, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Moree Support Group spokesperson Libby Smith, Moree Rural Fire Service volunteers Rob Gallagher and Darryl Brady and at front (from left) Gwydir Industries employees Les Cuthel and Adam Love, MRC secretary Michelle Gobbert, Gwydir Industries general manager Antoinette McNamara and MRC committeeman Gus Shelton at the cheque presentation at Moree racecourse on Wednesday.

Moree Race Club president Rob Mather said “putting on a show” like the Moree Ag Supplies Christmas race-day was a collaborative effort.

“The Christmas meeting is by far our biggest race-day of the year, and takes a lot of planning and organising,” Mr Mather said.

“We are very, very lucky to have so many local organisations and services willing to chip in and help put it all together.

“The simple fact is, we could never do it without their help. These organisations do a lot for the community, not just the Moree Race Club, and donating back to them is our way of saying ‘thank-you’ for all their help,” he said.

Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Moree Support Group spokesperson Libby Smith said her organisation was thrilled with the donation.

“As always, the race-day is a fabulous event and the Moree Race Club is such a generous sponsor and supporter of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service,” Mrs Smith said.

“It’s a vital service we have in regional areas, and this money helps the Moree support group continue to support the chopper and provide extra funding to upgrade services where needed.

“On race-day, some of the members are generally at the track by about 11.30am and stay until around 10.30pm. We like to help with everything. It’s a great day, with so many people, and a fabulous event for Moree,” she said.

Gwydir Industries general manager Antoinette McNamara said her group was only too happy to help.

“On behalf of Gwydir Industries, I would like to thank Moree Race Club for their generous donation,” she said.

“This money enables Gwydir Industries to continue our ongoing efforts to improve the quality of work life for adults with a disability in Moree and the district.”

Pallamallawa Public School P&C president Trish Fox thanked the race club for ongoing, annual financial support.

“The P&C and Pallamallawa Public School would like to say a huge thank-you to Michelle Gobbert and Moree Race Club for their kind donations over the last three years,” Ms Fox said.

“We all really appreciate it, as the money goes to our amazing students at the school.”

Rural Fire Services operational officer, Renee McMillan, said the Moree brigade were happy to assist with parking at the twilight Christmas races.

“These funds will assist the brigade, by enhancing their capabilities and allow them to purchase the ‘extra’ things above standard issue equipment that the brigade wish to purchase,” Ms McMillan said.

“We would like to thank the Moree Race Club for their generous donation. It will go a long way in assisting the brigade to better serve Moree and surrounding communities.”

Moree Race Club secretary Michelle Gobbert applauded the organisations who put up their collective hands year after year.

“On behalf of the club, we’d really like to thank our volunteer groups that help us throughout the year,” Mrs Gobbert said.

“Up until last year, leading up to our AGM in November, we were a really small committee, so it’s really important we get volunteers on race-days like the Christmas and Moree Cup meetings to help.

“In return, we can thank them with donations that will go back to the community.

“The Christmas meeting is quite a big job and we literally can’t run it just as a committee,” she said.