THE 2022 Lexus Melbourne Cup is on its way to Wellington Shire, with visits planned for Rosedale, Maffra and Seaspray next week.
The tour begins at Rosedale, by the Patrobas statue at 8.30am next Tuesday, October 18, where it will be seen alongside the ‘Widdis Cup’.
Won by the real-life Patrobas racehorse in 1915, the Widdis Cup is housed at the Port of Sale building and seldom leaves its display case, giving punters a rare opportunity to see it and its modern equivalent up close.
The 2022 Cup will then head to Maffra, where it will be taken to local primary schools, Maffra RSL Sub-Branch and Stretton Park.
After, it will be walked around Johnson St businesses at about 3.15pm, taken to the Maffra Band Rotunda for a performance by the Maffra Municipal String Band at 4pm, and a ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony will be conducted by Ramahyuck Elders at 4.30pm, which will include a performance by Ramahyuck’s Cultural Connect Dance Group.
From 6.30pm, there will be further opportunity to learn about the cup at the Maffra Community Sports Club.
There, attendees will meet the cup ambassador and perhaps hold the $275,000 trophy in their hands, while being entertained by the Maffra Municipal String Band.
The following Wednesday, the cup will continue its tour in Seaspray, beginning at Seaspray Primary School from 9.30am.
It will then be displayed at the caravan park and community shop from 10.50am until 11.30am for locals looking for photo opportunities, and then move on to the Seaspray Surf Life Saving Club clubrooms before a long lunch from 12.30pm to 4pm.
The Melbourne Cup Tour is an annual event that has the eponymous trophy taken around Australia for the public to see and learn of its history.
In 2022, the cup was also taken overseas, with visits to New Zealand and Singapore in August and September, respectively.
The Wellington Shire leg of the tour was secured thanks to submissions by the Maffra RSL Sub-Branch and Seaspray SLSC.
During its tour of Gippsland, the cup will be accompanied by a Victoria Racing Club representative and a Melbourne Cup Ambassador, who will present a history of the famous trophy and “the race that stops a nation”.
The event has been made possible with the support of the Gippsland Art Gallery, Andrew Widdis, Maffra Municipal Band, Gippsland Vehicle Collection, East Gippsland Harness Club, Maffra Community Sports Club, Ramahyuck, and the Maffra Business and Tourism Association.
Any questions about the schedule or activities can be directed to Maffra RSL Sub-Branch president Kevin Christensen on 0437 808 630.
