Moree Cup weekend will begin with dinner, dancing and fundraising on Friday, September 4, when the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Charity Ball returns to Moree Racecourse.
The Slattery Grays Auctions WRHS Charity Ball will feature a four-course meal by Relish Catering, live and silent auctions, raffles, live music and guest speaker Samantha Longmore, an entrepreneur and reigning World Disabled Water Ski Champion.
The evening is the first event in a three-day Moree Cup weekend with fundraising for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service at its centre.
Guests will arrive from 5.30pm for a 6pm start, with beer and wine included in the ticket price. Goondiwindi band Split Image will provide live music later in the evening, with the Ball expected to continue through to around midnight.
The event retains the traditional charity ball format, with formal dress, a seated dinner, guest speaker, fundraising and dancing all part of the night.
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Charity Ball committee member Heidi Heffernan said the format was part of what distinguished the Ball from many other events on the local calendar.
“There’s not really a lot of balls as such anymore,” Heidi said.
She said guests could dress formally for the night and enjoy a sit-down meal, with food and drinks included, before the evening moved into dancing and entertainment.
About 120 people attended last year’s Ball.
Plenty going under the hammer
Fundraising will be a major part of the evening, with 17 live auction lots assembled alongside 15 raffle prizes, silent auction items and other fundraising activities.
The auction ranges from agricultural and trade packages to racing experiences, travel, local art and photography.
Boland Petroleum has donated 3000 litres of bulk diesel, to be delivered in one drop within 100 kilometres of its Moree or Narrabri depots.
Another lot, “Tradies for a Day”, will provide three electricians and two builders for a day, with labour supplied by Heffernan Electrical, McGowan AC & Electrical and Jacksonn Built.
Moree Race Club has donated a Christmas Twilight Races hospitality package for 10 people, including gate entry, access to the Inside the Rail sponsors area, catering by Relish and a $500 bar tab.
A 12-month Moree Golf Club membership will also go under the hammer, while Brooker Trading Co has donated an Italian feast for eight.
For bidders looking further afield, an Australian Turf Club package includes two nights at Rydges World Square, a three-course dinner and race-day hospitality at either Royal Randwick or Rosehill Gardens outside carnival dates.
A Hunter Valley package offers two nights at Rydges Resort Hunter Valley for four adults, breakfast and a round of golf with cart hire, along with a $100 fuel voucher.
Other auction items include a family photography experience from Captured & Co Photography, a skin treatment package from Crème Studio, an Engel fridge-freezer donated by National Ag Solutions and a signed 2024 ACT Brumbies jersey donated by the Thompson family.
Local work among auction highlights
Several pieces of art and photography will also feature in the auction.
Local artist Ian Reardon has donated Giving the Horses Their Head, a 900mm by 600mm oil painting capturing the imagery of bush racing.
Jaz Morrison Photography has contributed The Last Light, a framed photograph of the final light over a cotton crop on the Moree Plains.
Jaz Stewart Photography’s Watering Weaners captures 2000 Brahman weaners at sunset at Pigeon Hole Station in the Northern Territory, while Montana Beavis has donated Splitting the G, an oil on canvas work presented in a timber box frame.
The live auction will be supported by 15 raffle prizes donated by businesses and organisations, including fuel and meat vouchers, local produce, wine, haircare, homewares and outdoor products.
Ampol and Boland Petroleum have also donated lucky door and Heads and Tails prizes.
Silent auction items, raffle tickets and a direct donation option will provide further ways to support the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
Opening Moree Cup weekend
The Charity Ball will open a weekend of fundraising and racing, with the Vallad Advisors Charity Golf Day and Moree Cup Calcutta following on Saturday before the Agristorage & Logistics Moree Cup Race Day on Sunday.
Tickets close Sunday
Tickets for the Slattery Grays Auctions WRHS Charity Ball are $180 per person, plus a $7.20 booking fee, or $1700 for a table of 10, plus a $68 booking fee.
Tickets are available from Ticketebo
The event is restricted to people aged 18 and over, with proof of age required for entry. A courtesy bus will also be available.
Ticket sales close on Sunday, August 30.
The Ball will be held at Moree Racecourse, with guests arriving from 5.30pm ahead of the 6pm start.
