By Darren Cartwright
In a hamlet out west where the population is a mere 10 families, the local race club is run by a female president who is allergic to horses.
Wendy Henning is one of three women titleholders on Flinton Race Club’s executive, where she has reigned as president since 2017 and the only meeting each year is held on Easter Saturday.
Ignoring her allergy to horses, she only agreed to step into the role out of loyalty to the club – and it was supposed to be for only a few years.
Before taking on the top honourary role at Flinton, Wendy’s pre-race and race day role was organising the president’s luncheon.
Her contribution was part of a large resolute sub-committee, made of about 50 volunteers, who underpinned Flinton’s five-member executive.
“I had nothing to do with horses, whatsoever, and I’m actually allergic to horses,” Wendy explained.
“I had been on the sub-committee for a long time, and I was approached about the presidency after the previous president stood down, and I agreed to do it for a couple of years, and I am still here.”
The annual meeting has become a tourist attraction for those escaping Greater Brisbane or even Sydney, Wendy said.
Holidaymakers arrive en masse each Easter long weekend to enjoy the peaceful surrounds of the racetrack near the banks of the Moonie River, some 350km south west of Brisbane.
A crowd of about 1000 attended the five-race meeting in April which was well down on pre-pandemic patron numbers, Wendy said.
Photos: West Is Best Photography
“We didn’t race for two years because of COVID and the other because of weather,” Wendy (pictured left) said.
“We tend to get a young crowd and lots of families, and we had people camping from as far as Sydney, who just wanted to get away for Easter and they ended up at Flinton.
“This year, though, was one of our smallest crowds with about 1,000 through the gate but when we raced last time (2019), we had 2,900 on course.”
As for the town itself, it has a population of just 42, according to the 2016 ABS Census.
The 2016 ABS stats showed there were 10 families and 19 private dwellings.
“We are purely a little club and there are only a handful of houses in Flinton, so we don’t have a township as such, and we (the committee) are literally from all around the region,” Wendy said.
“I live about 70km away, but some come from as far as Brisbane or the Sunshine Coast.
“They can’t make it to all the working bees, but they come and work on the gate and do other jobs on race days.”
Besides organising everything associated with a race meeting, from food and beverages to the concourse layout, the club’s biggest assignment is coordinating the camping grounds and supplying all-day security.
The festivities kick on well after the last race, but to find the racetrack, you need to look for a hand-painted corrugated iron road-side sign (pictured) that directs you off the Moonie Highway, along Flinton Rd.
To keep costs to a minimum, Wendy said they rely heavily on volunteers, and they are on the hunt for a sizeable sponsor to avoid having to raise the entry price in 2023.
“If we volunteer, our families volunteer too, so it’s one in, all in,” she said.
“Because there is no public transport as well, we have camping, and a lot of campers move in on Good Friday.
“We have very good local support, and we are looking for some of those larger sponsors, which would like to be recognised as being part of Flinton races because security is one of our major expenses.
“We don’t want the gate price to go up because we want to be affordable for families.”
When her days as president come to an end, Wendy intends to remain on the committee to ensure Flinton race days are as popular in the future as they were before a two-year hiatus.
The race day means much to the region and their families, and she wants generations to come to enjoy Easter Saturday, relaxing track side and by the Moonie River.
“We start planning out meeting for next year now and that includes reflecting on what has, and hasn’t, worked and what we need to change,” she said.
“It’s something that we are very mindful of, and for the club to continue its long history, we need younger ones coming on the committee or the extended committee.”
* Flinton's next race meeting: Saturday, April 8, 2023