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Today’s edition of Qweekend is part of a partnership with Queensland Racing. For this special issue writer Michael Madigan and photographer Mark Cranitch were given the enviable assignment to head north and spend the weekend at the Burdekin Growers Race Day.

There, they mixed with the locals and discovered that 20 years ago the successful community racing carnival was poorly attended and looking like being cancelled.

Fashions on the Field at Burdekin Races. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Members of the club got together and came up with an idea to boost the Fashions on the Field prize pool to attract women to the event and they surmised, the men would follow. The idea worked and the event – with its $50,000 Fashions on the Field prizemoney now attracts more than 4000 people to a town of 3000.

The community also got behind it with many volunteering their time and growers donating vegetables to giveaway.

It’s become the benchmark that other country towns have emulated and there’s now 62 clubs hosting similar cup days across the state.

There’s plenty of opportunity to attend such events for the rest of the year – and it’s a great excuse to get out an explore Queensland.

Burdekin Races at Burdekin Race Club, Home Hill. Picture: Mark Cranitch

Also this week Jill Poulsen interviews Bill Edgar, who has made a name for himself crashing funerals. He speaks on behalf of the dead who want to deliver their last words from beyond the grave. The former private investigator and one-time criminal has turned his unusual career into a book, is part of a new United States reality TV show and has a Hollywood film in the works.

Inside you will also find:

- Columnists: Mel Buttle and William McInnes

- Ordinary people column: Jan Davies

- You & Me: Kate Creasey and Matthew Whalley

- Cafe review: Little Digs, Fortitude Valley

- Restaurant review: Elska, New Farm

- Wedding: Sarah Jones and Samuel Brown

- My Life: Brian Canham

This weekend’s wedding of Sarah Jones and Samuel Brown. Picture: Cloud Catcher

Originally published as Digital exclusive: Read Qweekend the day before it’s printed