Thanks shine through

By Kath Gannaway
EVENTS conspired on Sunday to put a dampener on what was to be a day of fun and thanks for those who rallied to help during the Black Saturday bushfires, and their families.
Organised by Victoria Police in conjunction with the Shire of Yarra Ranges and Yarra Valley Racing, the ‘Thanks Mate’ day held at Yarra Valley Racing Centre was hampered, first by the cold blast which kept hundreds away, then by the destruction of a horse, following a fall in the last jumps race of the day.
There was no escaping the pall that incident put over the event but organisers rallied and, for the sake of the kids and those families who had braved the icy weather to be part of it, the event hosted by television comedian Michael Veitch continued.
Children flocked to be part of a toy pony give-away and the generosity of local businesses was highlighted in a give-away of dozens of prizes for the grown-ups including a balloon ride, wine and restaurant vouchers.
Shire of Yarra Ranges mayor Len Cox and Mr Veitch showed amazing stamina as they drew winning ticket after winning ticket out of the bag.
Musician Ross Arundale paid tribute to the bravery and commitment of the emergency service men and women and to those who were affected by the fire in Unity Song, a song he wrote especially for the occasion.
The Thanks Mate race was run and won with a trophy being presented by Cr Samantha Dunn to Greg Latta representing Fly Half’s connections and trainer Russell Cameron.
Organising committee police members Allan Price and Sally Jensen joked about eating sausages for the next six months, and did their best to fathom what they could do with umpteem loaves of bread – maintaining their good humour after countless hours of hard-work in organising the event.
“The one thing we couldn’t organise was the weather,” said Shire of Yarra Ranges’ organising committee member Mandy Black.
A major disappointment was the inability to hold the parade of school children from around the shire, who had made banners to thank the various groups involved in the fires.
Lilydale police officer Ian Marr who attended with his family was keen to ensure that the day was not seen as a disappointment for those who were able to be there.
His youngsters had a great day and for him and the many others, it was taken as read that the Yarra Ranges communities are thankful for what was done by so many on Black Saturday.