“So race day dawned and we discovered the theme of the day was tartan, paying homage to our neighbours at Scottish-founded Waipu.”
We went to the Ruakaka Races last Saturday – unplanned, sort of. There at the local restaurant, was the matriarch of Ruakaka Racing, the generous and impressive Donna Logan.
I said “Busy isn’t it?”
She said “Yes. Big day tomorrow. Races. Do you want tickets?”
“Yes, great, three please” I cheekily replied.
So race day dawned and we discovered that the theme of day was Tartan, paying homage to our neighbours at Scottish-founded Waipu.
With the ministrations of our friend Helen (the third ticket holder) and a quick trip to the $2 shop, we were sufficiently tartaned up and ready to race!
After negotiating our way into the Owners and Trainers stand, we found ourselves right there in the thick of it. As horses paraded up and down within cooee, with their magnificent rumps a mere arm’s length away, I suddenly remembered my equally magnificent allergy to horses, usually expressing itself in coughing and sneezing fits.
So glamorous.
This allergy entered my life as a youth, when I was involved with Riding for the Disabled. RDA is, of course, a stalwart of the disability sector and has provided an appealing mixture of derring-do, with a bit of therapy cunningly tucked in amongst the fun, for generations of young’uns with “needs”.
Winston was at the racetrack too, wearing a Burberry Mack, collar dashingly up-turned to reveal a subtle slash of tartan. Well, you don’t waste an opportunity.
“Hi,” I said ambling towards him. “I’m Jonny Wilkinson from Tiaho Trust, you’re speaking at our Disability and Seniors Expo, Getting Out There.”
“Yes” he said “in August?”
“Yes indeed, and thank for responding to our 20percent campaign during the Northland byelection,”I said.
“What did you think of the byelection?” he asked.
“It was great, I really enjoyed it,” I replied.
What a naff answer I thought. I should have said it was great to see attention drawn to the usually ignored provinces. I should have taken the opportunity to talk about the 20per cent of the disabled constituency now grown to 24 per cent. (Yes, we are getting bigger; in the last census that percentage of disabled people grew from 20 to 24, nearly one-in-four New Zealander’s with a disability.)
But no – while my opportunistic side usually makes the most of any roll of the dice, I didn’t have a ready political riposte, with which to garner Winston’s immediate engagement with issues that are big in the world of disability.
Never mind, he knows me now. I am, dare I say it, rather unforgettable. I’m sure Winston will provide us with an entertaining and provocative spin at the Getting Out There Expo, which is a partnership between Tiaho and the Northern Advocate and sponsored by Bupa.
Opportunities abound daily. Some we make happen – we plan, we scheme and we get the result we want if we have our ducks lined up well enough. I’m delighted that we will have Winston speaking at the Expo, along with other fab key note speakers, and I’m excited that Tiaho has planned to breathe new life into the 20percent social media campaign, re-naming it 24percent.
Equally, my weekend was made all the more exciting because we went with the flow and made the most of the unplanned opportunities that the universe threw at us. Sometimes its horses for courses. Cough, cough, ashooo!
Downloadable pdf here:
| Available Downloads | Type | Size |
|---|---|---|
| Covering ground at the Ruakaka races | 202 KB |