Melbourne Cup Welcome to Country divides fans before race

The Welcome to Country at the Melboune Cup has caused a storm with an unusual speech being delivered before the race.

The Melbourne Cup’s bulked up pre-race entertainment ceremony kicked off with a Welcome to Country performed by local elder Uncle Colin Hunter on Tuesday afternoon.

The Wurundjeri leader’s classy welcome was warmly received by the crowd at Flemington, but it didn’t impress everyone watching on at home.

Hunter’s welcome was much shorter than his recent appearances at AFL events and his brief speech passed the ceremony immediately onto the next phase of the entertainment, headlined by pop star Ronan Keating.

“The Wurundjeri people are part of the Kulin Nation. You are welcome to the traditional lands and water ways. Enjoy your afternoon. Thank you,” he said.

The Welcome was screened on Channel 9.

Fans on social media voiced their displeasure that the traditional welcome was performed at all.

One Twitter user posted: “When does the madness end? The welcome to country becomes soo meaningless after the first couple times”.

Another posted: “How to ruin the cup? Do a welcome To country when the day is more than half over”.

One wrote: “So Uncle Colin says a welcome to country before race 7 on Melbourne Cup day. Were we not welcome for the six races before it? Hypocrisy”.

One person posted: “Ronan Keating gets a cheer & the welcome to country gets nothing but crickets, tells you all you need to know”.

Former Flemington racecourse clerk of the course John Patterson (centre) poses for a photo with the Melbourne Cup and (L-R) Renata Koponski, Rebecca Stoneman, Alex Hecker and Brodie Worell. AAP Image/Julian Smith.

The festivities quickly turned to Keating, Who performed a duet with Aussie darling Ricki-Lee.

With perfect, sunny Spring weather, all general admission tickets were snapped up with 90,000 watching on inside the famous Flemington venue.

The pre-race entertainment took a sombre turn when racing icon John “Patto” Patterson OAM was honoured inside the mounting yard.

The 86-year-old, who is the longest-serving Clerk of the Course in Melbourne Cup history, died last month.

His sons Peter and Shane Patterson carried the Cup into the venue before handing it over to Ariarne Titmus in the mounting yard.

The Australian National Anthem will be sung by Greta Bradman, the eldest grandchild of another Australian sporting hero, Sir Donald Bradman.