SANTA swapped his sleigh for the straight on Saturday as a big crowd of enthusiastic racegoers embraced the theme ‘Christmas in July’, jingling their way to the iconic Wean Picnic Races. The race day that stops the North West didn’t disappoint in 2026, attracting one of its biggest crowds with one attendee commenting: “I’ve done Golden Slippers, Cox Plates, Derby Days, this was every bit as good as them – beautiful atmosphere.” The weather was picture perfect, with the winter sun beaming down on the immaculate track and grounds. Weeks of working bees by the tireless volunteer committee were on […]

THE Gunnedah Garden Club’s May meeting was a full day and started with the annual chrysanthemum competition. Sandra Holmes, GCA NW zone coordinator from Tamworth, judged the various sections and gave some tips on how to show flowers. There were two outright winners. Ellen Mitchell won medium chrysanth, with Julia Withers winning daisy, large, miniature plus champion chrysanth. With a background in horticulture, Sandra spoke about her roll with GCA over the past 16 years, and confessed she is a plantaholic. The topic of the talk was water crystals, and members learned about the advantages of using it in pots […]