Tourists throw down for races

Despite having no connections to Mount Perry, a visiting couple put their hands up to sponsor a race and threw down $2000 for the 2018 races.

SPONSORS: Dick and Sue Prior at the Mount Perry Races. Picture: Felicity Ripper

RACING: The first time Sue and Dick Prior visited the Mount Perry Races was just last year, and they enjoyed it so much that they decided to do their part to keep the classic country event going.

Despite having no connections to Mount Perry, they put their hands up to sponsor a race and threw down $2000 for the 2018 event.

"We were visiting friends who had not long moved up to Childers so we thought we would come to the Mount Perry Races,” Mrs Prior said.

"It was lovely, we had a great time and my husband is a country boy at heart so we just decided we would sponsor a race.”

While the couple also sponsor races closer to home, around Sydney, they believed it was important for rural races to receive support as well.

"Especially now with the drought, everyone is doing it tough, and something like this gives the girls and guys a chance to dress up and forget about that for a few hours,” Mrs Prior said.

"The people in the country are lovely and they're always up for a bit of fun and a laugh, it's nice to be around.”

Mrs Prior said it was her husband who came up with the idea to sponsor a Mount Perry race, and he is often coming up with spontaneous ideas.

"I'm not even a gambler, I don't follow hose racing, but we just came here last year and I loved the atmosphere,” Mr Prior said.

"We don't have any business up here so we didn't need the sponsorship or anything, we just wanted to.”

North Burnett Regional Councillor John Bowen and Mount Perry Racing Club's Joy Jensen both commended the out-of-towners for supporting the event that means so much to the local community.

While they have no plans locked in just yet, Sue and Dick Prior said if their friends were happy to put them up once again, they would love to keep returning to the country event in the future.