COMMENT
ARMIDALE Dumaresq councillors must move quickly to reinstate the half-day public holiday on Armidale Cup day.
The sun was shining brightly on Monday, yet the Cup produced one of the lowest attendances on record for the city’s feature race meeting.
Mayor Laurie Bishop was invited to the meeting by the Armidale Jockey Club and he must relay his thoughts back to his peers at council and push for the return of the half-day holiday.
If having a half-day off for the local Cup meeting is good enough for just about every country town in Australia with a racetrack, then surely it’s good enough for Armidale.
The Cup is not just about racing and gambling.
It’s the biggest social event on the city’s calendar.
For some, it’s their only major public outing for the year. Old friends reunite at the Cup.
The races complement the Autumn Festival, making it an attractive proposition for those to visit Armidale for a long weekend.
Having the half-day holiday not only gives people an opportunity to go to the races, but it also rewards those businesses who worked around the clock on the weekend to accommodate the rise in visitors.
The council’s decision to scrap the half-day holiday was a bad one.
The question is, will the councillors stand firm on the issue, or will they realise the mistake and try and make amends for 2015?
– MATT NICHOLLS
