Events

'If you want to bet on numbers, go to a casino. If you want theatre, go to the races.' - Les Carlyon

'All his life, Andrew Rule has watched racing's heroes and villains, dreamers and schemers.

In Chance, he distils the daring, the desperation and danger of the track, peeling back some of racing's most famous and infamous moments, its celebrations and its secrets, the grittiness behind the glitz.

There are stories of those who set the odds and those who take them, betting plunges planned more carefully than bank robberies, of tricky trainers, reckless jockeys and bold bookmakers.

Tough and sometimes tender, dark and sometimes funny, Chance transcends the industry they call the sport of kings.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Multi-award-winning journalist Andrew Rule has covered some of the most notorious Australian stories of recent decades.

Rule has written, edited or published more than 30 true crime books - including the best-selling Underbelly series with John 'Sly' Silvester. He wrote the definitive biography of businessman Kerry Stokes, published in 2015, and the award-winning biography of the world champion racehorse Winx in 2018.

He is now an associate editor of Australia's biggest daily, the Herald Sun, for which he writes features and columns'.

M.C.:  David Rush

Melbourne Cup Day is Australia’s best known horse racing event. Since 1861 it has been held on the first Tuesday of November at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. It is an annual public holiday in the state of Victoria. This event, popularly dubbed as “the race that stops the nation”, is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over, is said to be the richest ‘two-mile’ handicap in the world and is one of the richest turf races.  More than 100,000 people usually attend Flemington Racecourse, and the race is televised live to an audience of about 650 million people worldwide'.

Did you know? The 1875 winner, Wollomai, came from Phillip Island?, (which is located around 135 kilometres south-east of Melbourne and is better known for its penguin colonies). In earlier days, prior to a ferry service between Phillip Island and San Remo, animals were swum across to the Narrows.

It was thought that Wollomai had very little chance of winning, but jockey Bob Batty rode the horse to success, in a time of three minutes and thirty eight seconds, before a crowd of 70,000 people.

The owner, John Cleeland, returned to Cape Woolomai  with £22,000 pounds, having given the jockey and trainer £500 each.

Anne Scott has a remarkable story to tell.

You may know that Anne has been a Rotary Hawthorn member for a number of years, but do you know of her involvement with international and community projects?

Find out how Anne has focused in improving the situation of women through her involvement with the World Associaion of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGS) and her association with royal patrons such as Princess Beneditke of Denmark, Princess Azizah of Malaysia and Princess Basma of Jordan 

M.C.:  TBA

Dorothy Gilmour has vast experience and professional, academic history in Social Sciences including human behaviours and challenges of specialised groups. Her main practice was in private practice and university lecturing in trauma, loss, grief, mediation and suicide.

Dorothy remains an advocate for social justice and fairness for those less fortunate.

She believes: "We must make changes now, we must ensure our children and grandchildren do not perpetrate this lack of respect for humanity."

Passionate Rotarian, Editor of Bulletin, 'champion' of Rotary Safe Families, Dorothy is known for her saying: "Onwards and Upwards!"

Rotary Safe Families is a 'preventative' program to assist Rotarians and the community to be able to identify, become informed, know how to support and find appropriate referral to Police, a support agency for a victim or possible victim of family violence or elder abuse.

M.C.: Pam Crockett

Stay tuned for more information. 

Photo Credit: Port of Melbourne 

More information to follow.