Warren Entsch (Leichhardt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This weekend Cannon Park Racecourse will host what is arguably our city's biggest social event of the year, the Cairns Amateurs Carnival. Through the vision of its founder, Sir Sydney Williams, what began in 1959 as a small amateur meeting designed to bring city and country together has expanded over the years to become one of Australia's premier spring horseracing carnivals.

People come from far and wide for the three-day carnival, which will see a big dose of fashion, racing, food, entertainment, mateship and no doubt a little frivolity. Kicking off tomorrow will be the ladies fashion high tea followed by the president's welcome cocktail function in the evening. Friday will see the ladies day at the track before the highly anticipated ANZ Cairns Amateurs Ball at dusk, one of the most prestigious events on the Cairns calendar, located in a waterfront marquee overlooking the stunning Coral Sea. If that hasn't already warmed your cockles, then Saturday brings an eight-race program culminating in the racing of the $150,000 Stella Artois Cairns Amateur Cup. It's events like this in many regional cities across Queensland that bring people together and inject much-needed funds into our local economy.

I'd like to take the opportunity to thank Cairns Jockey Club; the Far North Queensland Amateur Turf Club; and Cairns Amateurs President Ross Moller, his committee and his team for all of the hard work over the past months to ensure the 61st Cairns Amateurs Racing Carnival will be one of the best ones yet.