Kangaroo Island Cup organisers expect a record crowd to help the community recover from bushfires
This month’s Kangaroo Island Cup has taken on added meaning for its tight-knit community. The event, which will double as a bushfire fundraiser, is expected to attract a record crowd.
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It’s always been a highlight of the calendar but this year’s Kangaroo Island Cup has taken on added meaning, added poignancy and an added reason for the community to come together to remember what has been lost and to celebrate what they still have.
The bushfires that devastated so much of the beauty of Kangaroo Island may be out, but the memories still linger. The tragedy of the deaths of Dick Lang and his son Clayton, the more than 50,000 livestock that perished, as well as the native fauna. The farmers and businesses who have suffered grave losses and are facing a long, arduous road to recovery.
More than 150,000ha were burnt in the fires, more than 50 homes were destroyed and the blaze also claimed the globally known luxury Southern Ocean Lodge tourism attraction.
A simple horse race won’t fix those problems. But the coming together in unity and the show of strength of community will accelerate the healing process. It will also help demonstrate to the rest of the country that Kangaroo Island is still open for business.
The Advertiser is encouraging readers to get behind the carnival in a bid to make it one of the biggest events the island has ever had and boost the local economy.
The early signs are looking good for the carnival, which runs from February 20-22, with the cup itself run on the final day.
Kangaroo Island Racing Club president Mark Turner said he was expecting a record Cup Day crowd of about 4000, beating the previous high by about one third. He joked “he’s the president of a racing club, not an events organiser’’, but he has been humbled by the response from the community.
“It’s going to be a huge event,’’ he said. “It’s going to be massive. We are preparing for our biggest ever attendance, all to do with the bushfires.
“Everybody wants to help, everyone wants to donate, and they want to do it personally by attending the races. After all the devastation, I just think everyone wants to get together and see some green grass and have a lovely day, everyone wants to support the fire appeal.’’
Money raised at the carnival will go towards bushfire relief. “A lot of people are saying ‘If you are going to donate, we’ll donate as well’,’’ Mr Turner said.
Some big names are on their way to the island.
Footy legend Russell Ebert will be there. Virgin Australia chief executive Paul Scurrah is expected, while South Australian livestock businessman Darren Thomas is bringing a charter group of 80 people down from Queensland. There are 30 corporate marquees being set up and the event’s “long lunch” has been sold out twice over and will seat 370 people.
Kangaroo Island Mayor Michael Pengilly said the Cup was a “great shot in the arm’’ for the island. “We look forward to it, it’s good fun for several days,’’ he said.
Mr Pengilly also said it was a good way for the island to show it was still a great place to visit and hoped it would encourage many more visitors.
Premier Steven Marshall, who is also the state’s new Tourism Minister, said the Government’s #BookThemOut campaign, which aimed to attract as many visitors to Kangaroo Island as possible, had been a great success.
“More than 300,000 Australians have jumped on the #BookThemOut website, looking at how they can support South Australia’s bushfire affected communities,’’ Mr Marshall said.
“The Kangaroo Island Cup Day is a major tourism drawcard for the island, and the timing couldn’t be better.”
“I’m encouraging everyone to get behind the KI community and support the event, local businesses and tourism operators.”
Big race to give community a day out with friends
Olivia Buick-Antonelli says the Kangaroo Island Cup Carnival is going to lift spirits while raising much-needed funds for local bushfire relief.
French-born Ms Buick-Antonelli has attended the annual race meeting for seven years since coming to Kangaroo Island on a working holiday and staying for love.
Married to born-and-bred KI beekeeper Simon Buick, she said the island had become home to her, especially since the birth of the couple’s four-year-old son Hartley.
Dressed by South Australia’s Couture+Love+Madness, Ms Buick-Antonelli posed at local horse trainer David Huxtable’s fire-ravaged farm with Marmalade.
The Advertiser photoshoot was to encourage readers to attend the carnival, which runs from February 20 until February 22 – KI Cup Day.
The influx of visitors will also give the local economy a boost and profits from the three-day carnival are being donated to the Kangaroo Island Mayoral Relief and Recovery Fund. “There area a lot of farmers whose (bushfire) recovery will take a long time who need the money and a day out,” Ms Buick-Antonelli said. “We haven’t had a day off. It will be great to see all the friendly faces and hang out together – there’s a real community spirit.”
Ms Buick-Antonelli, who volunteers with the not-for-profit Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network, said she and her husband had been helping care for animals in the wake of the fires. Mr Buick’s employer Island Beehive had also been affected, losing close to half of its hives.
One of Kangaroo Island’s two horse trainers, Mr Huxtable, has been attending KI Cup Day since childhood but this year’s event will hold extra significance.
The 50-year-old’s 100ha farm, near Wisanger, was scorched by the bushfires, burning fences and pipes, and damaging its water supply.
Mr Huxtable will not have any runners in the main race but his six-year-old New Zealand mare Emilyor will be racing on Cup Day. “People have got to have something to hang on to, something to look forward to – there hasn’t been much to look forward to of late,” he said. “We’re trying to build the Cup up and the money is going to a good cause. The more people who can support the carnival, the better.”
He hopes to enter a horse in the Cup for the first time in the next few years. “I’ve always wanted to have a runner in the Cup … and I want to win the Cup,” he said.
Win a trip to big race
There has never been a better time to support the SeaLink Kangaroo Island Carnival.
The Advertiser and Sunday Mail are giving five lucky readers a double pass each to attend the not-to-be-missed event, to be held on Saturday, February 22.
The passes include return transfers from the Adelaide CBD to the Kangaroo Island Cup.
To enter, find the code word inside The Advertiser on Saturday, February 8, and the Sunday Mail on Sunday, February 9, and head to advertiser.com.au/competitions to enter the code word.
Anyone interested in attending the KI Cup, and who did not win this competition, is encouraged to book transport in advance because seats may be limited due to high demand.