This Saturday, 18 October, is Caulfield Cup Day, an event that will be celebrated in style at Kempsey Racecourse with a special fundraiser for the Slim Dusty Foundation, organised by David Parker of the Kempsey Race Club.

The concept for this non-TAB race day to be heralded as a Slim Dusty Foundation Fundraiser, has quickly attracted support for an occasion that is hoped to become an annual event, and has been made possible by local businesses who have generously sponsored all the races.

Among the festivities will be the awarding of the prize for The Best Dressed Person in Country Themed Attire. As a special tribute to Slim Dusty, the prize will be an Akubra hat, donated by Slim's long-time friends at Akubra (also Foundation Donors of the Foundation).

Another highlight of the day will be the launch of the Slim Dusty Foundation Marquee, a 30 x 15 foot tent created through the efforts of David Parker, along with the Rotary Club of Kempsey West – both also Foundation Donors.

The marquee proudly displays the logo of the Slim Dusty Foundation together with those of sponsors Rotary Club of Kempsey West, 4 Shore Holiday Parks, the Macleay Regional Cooperative and Westlawn Finance.

ABOVE: A group of representatives from the Rotary Club of Kempsey West with Mr David Parker and members of the Slim Dusty Foundation team standing underneath the newly acquired Slim Dusty Foundation marquee which will be launched at the Slim Dusty Foundation Fundraiser Caulfield Cup Race Day.

Geoff Bradley, Marketing Manager from 4 Shore Holiday Parks is proud to sponsor the new Slim Dusty Foundation Marquee.

“When David Parker first came up with the idea, we jumped at it knowing it would be a great way to raise the profile of the upcoming Slim Dusty Museum and to show our support for such a fantastic tourism venture.” He said.

Clarrie Shannon from Westlawn was another eager sponsor and spoke of the idea of the marquee in glowing terms.

“ When approached by David Parker to be a co-sponsor of the marquee, Westlawn was happy to be involved in the wonderful idea. Westlawn is always keen to support local organizations where possible and in this particular case, very glad to be a part of the Slim Dusty Foundation which in time will no doubt draw many visitors to the Macleay Valley.

There are always people and organisations looking to hire a marquee for various functions and the proposal for the Rotary Club of West Kempsey to look after and hire out this marquee will enable them to increase their income which in turn is distributed to local charities.

The Slim Dusty Museum will be a part of the Macleay Valley for a long time to come and Westlawn plans on being here for the long term as well. We would like to thank David Parker for his initiative and personal effort and expense in making the marquee a reality”

Richard O’Leary, Chief Executive Officer of the Macleay Regional Co-operative Ltd echoed these sentiments.

“We are privileged to be a sponsoring partner, supporting the Marquee and the Slim Dusty Foundation’s community recognition of Slim Dusty and his true Australian icon status. 

It is a main mission component of the Co-operative with its “Serving the Community” to develop the image of all important aspects of our valley life and support community partnerships that foster the well being for all residents of the Macleay Valley,” he said.

Mr O’Leary, also President of the Rotary Club of Kempsey West, spoke further about Rotary’s proud involvement. He continued, “The Rotary Club of Kempsey West has joined with other partners to preserve the image of Slim Dusty; the Foundation Marquee is an opportunity to showcase the sponsors: 4 Shore Holiday Parks, Westlawn Finance and the Macleay Regional Co-operative Ltd. 

These organizations are great supporters of the community and it’s only fitting that a service club such as ours, supports the Slim Dusty Foundation and its museum concept.”

The Marquee is available for hire through the Rotary Club of Kempsey West, by contacting Mr Maurie Fuller on 6562 1366.

David Parker, organiser of the Slim Dusty Race Day, expects a strong and enthusiastic turnout.

'It's a great opportunity to have our own kind of fun on this national race day while helping pay tribute to one of our national icons — Slim Dusty — in a way that gets us another step closer to creating a fitting memorial for him,' he says. 

General Manager, Kathryn Yarnold, commended those involved in co-ordinating this exciting event.

“And it’s exciting for the future too. Who knows, in the years to come, Kempsey could hold a Slim Dusty Cup! There has been a special effort put in by so many people, and these are people with genuine passion for the Slim Dusty initiative – David Parker has been awesome in his dedication, and Melissa Killmore an outstanding contributor to yet another community promotion.

I must also acknowledge the continuous involvement that our Foundation Donors bring to the project. We enjoy long term association with our Donors, and are extremely grateful to them all” she said.

Melissa Killmore, Office Administrator with the Slim Dusty Foundation, has been heavily involved in various promotions for the project and is fiercely aware of the Australian public’s attitude toward Slim Dusty and the pending museum.

“I have hosted promotional stands for the Slim Dusty Foundation at the “Tamworth Country Music Festival”, “Celebrate the Macleay” and “Pro-Ag”, the latter two being highly successful local field days with outstanding public interest. With the introduction of this Race Day, I see another opportunity to show to the community the successes of the Slim Dusty Foundation and the developments that lie ahead as we move towards the building of the Slim Dusty Centre.

The support that our local businesses and Foundation Donors show to us is always encouraging and makes what we are striving to achieve even more rewarding”, she said.

The Slim Dusty Race Day promises to be a fun day for young and old. Gates open prior to 12 midday, with Sydney, Melbourne, and other prominent race meetings throughout Australia kicking off at this time. Local racing will commence at 1pm, and admission is $5.

For information regarding the Slim Dusty Foundation and its aims, please contact Kathryn Yarnold, General Manager on (02) 6562 6533, or 1800 18 SLIM, or visit the website at www.slimdustycentre.com.au

Media Queries to Mr David Parker – Event Organiser – 0419 226 048

Story courtesy: Andy Otes

Photo courtesty of: Laurie Bullock, Mid Coast Observer

FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING THE SLIM DUSTY FOUNDATION AND ITS AIMS, PLEASE CONTACT GENERAL MANAGER, KATHRYN YARNOLD AT PHONE 02 65626533 OR 1800 18 SLIM OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE ON www.slimdustycentre.com.au