The Bong Bong Picnic Race Club will celebrate 60 years of operation since the revival of the race meeting in 1959.
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However the club has a proud history in the community stretching back to 1886. In 1886 a meeting was held to form the club and it held its first picnic race meeting in 1887 on a site between the Briars Inn and the Wingecarribee River.
In 1911 the races moved to a new site nearer to Bowral, opposite the junction at Eridge Park Road. Between 1916 and 1919, no races were held due to the outbreak of World War I and the influenza outbreak. The 1920s were the boom years for the club and were considered to be a very important event on the social calendar with the State Governor and Governor General in attendance at times.
One of the most notorious events from the 1920s in the club's history was the illegal doping of the cup favourite in 1929.
Cup favourite Bronze Fuze owned by Mr H C Osbourne had won the Bong Bong Cup the previous year as well as the Tirranna Picnic Races Cup and was naturally well fancied. However, as soon as the horses jumped from the start, it was clear that not all was well with Bronze Fuze who was acting erratically. Eventually his jockey eased him to the rear of the field.
Well known Randwick Vet Roy Stewart was called to attend the horse, arriving at 1 am in the morning. Bronze Fuze fully recovered from the incident.
A chauffeur later reported that he saw someone giving the horse a white powder, however no one was charged over the matter despite an extensive investigation by the Australian Jockey Club and stewards.
An extensive search through the historical archives for the Bong Bong Picnic Race Club has shed light on on several interesting items throughout the clubs racing history.
Among the many interesting items that have come to light are a set of Stipendiary Stewards reports from 1922 - 1930.
The reports offer a valuable and fascinating insight to not only the race meetings but the general social history of the time.
It was during that particular period of time that the club operated the course opposite Eridge Park Road.
The reports note many improvements to the course between the 1920s and 1930 which included the completion of the railing of the race track, at the first meeting there was only a rain down the inside of the straight, and also the completion of a secretary's office, jockeys room and eventually a grandstand.
Initially there were 12 races held over a two day carnival and a race ball which was enjoyed prior to the race meeting.
The steward notes reveal that the Bong Bong committee showed the club's various improvements which stated "This meeting now appears to be the leading Picnic Club in this state. The committee leave no stone unturned to make the meeting as attractive as possible and the beautiful silver trophies were remarked upon all present."
However, the 1930 race meeting was the last to be held in that era.
The steward noting in his report "taking in to consideration the general depression that is being experienced by the country, I think the Club did wonderfully well to through as well as they did, as everything was against success, however thanks to the energy of the secretary Mr ED Bloomfield, the meeting was a great success both socially and from a racing point of view".
The club eventually wound up in 1933 as they struggled through the great depression.
In 1959 the club reformed and re started the picnic races and this year's hardworking committee are leaving 'no stone unturned' to make the 2019 event as successful as ever.
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