Once again the
annual Southerners Race Day has upstaged a gaggled of
pretenders as the no. 1 highlight of the Bangkok Social
Scene. When previously the NZ Ball, Ploenchit Fair or
the Film Festival have sat atop the mantle, we are now
experiencing a changing of the guard.
In global terms, the participation
rivals that of the Hawaiian Iron Man. Interestingly, you
need to be in similar shape to compete in both and many
venture the Race Day is slightly more taxing on the body.
Certainly the heat, concentration and feats of endurance
are on par.
This year the prestigious
honour of host went to the Royal Bangkok Sports Club,
just edging out Nung Lerng, Royal Randwick, and Aintree
in the voting. Set in the lush surrounds of the city centre,
the club boasts a golf course, various sports pitches
and a driving range in the centre of a spectacular race
course. This, combined with the cityscape looming in the
background provides a serene vista for avid race goers.
The crowd on the day, by contrast
- some avid race goers and some avid other things - provided
a less serene vista for the locals in the stand and vice
versa. As usual, hats were the order of the day and from
Nicole's black and gold beauty, through Jeremy's embarrassing
pink sailing thing, to Brendon's fantastical Mongolian
Horseman's bonnet, we really were a spectacle. A number
of Brokeback contenders were on display as well.With Scoop and Jones running
syndicates, betting was made easy and interest peaked
at raffle times with Wagga in outstanding form providing
3 bottles of sensational NZ, South African and Australian
vintages to 3 lucky winners.
By race 8, with the temperature
a constant 45ºC, the humidity breaking records,
all and sundry rapidly intoxicating, and punters down
on their luck we decided to 'move out'. What a decision.
Through an honour guard and to appreciative applause
the Southerners Race Day 2006 came to an end and we
filed out with promises of "we'll be back",
"see you soon" and "I want to die".
Typically, the day the end not
end there and in true Southerners fashion we stoically
soldiered on well into the night and far into oblivion.
Results later revealed
an entry in Lonely Planet's 10 Best Things to do in
Bangkok, a nomination in World's Best Looking Expats,
and an invitation to the Melbourne Cup in November.
All in all a great
day was again had by all and Southerners continues to
provide innovative and original social gatherings for
interested expats and locals.
Southerners Social
Committee
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