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| Melbourne Cup |
The 'People's Cup' will travel to 33 towns and cities across Australia, New Zealand, and for the first time, Malaysia, where it will join a special World War II memorial service.
The destinations were announced at Kensington Primary School, where students participated in a mock barrier draw alongside Australian Racing Hall of Fame inductee Glen Boss (2003-2005 Emirates Melbourne Cup winning jockey), Terry Freeman (Keeper of the Flemington Roses), Brew (2000 Melbourne Cup winner), Arabella Forge (2002 Myer Fashions on the Field winner) and the Victorian State Attorney General and Racing Minister, The Hon Martin Pakula MP.
Boss and Freeman are just two of the faces of the VRC's current 'Racing Royalty' campaign, which brings together some of the heroes of the sport, and many from behind the scenes, to share the stories connected with Flemington's rich history.
In 2015, the Emirates Melbourne Cup will visit Sandakan, Borneo, to join two of the last four remaining Australian survivors of the WWII Japanese death camps as they attend an annual Memorial Day.
The Memorial Day honours and remembers all those who died in the notorious Japanese Prisoner of War (POW) camps which were set up in Borneo during the Japanese occupation during WWII.
While in the camps, POWs kept their spirits high to keep going day-to-day and as a result, they developed a Melbourne Cup Sweep Stake in November 1942 which saw POWs pay tuppence (two pennies) to enter for the chance to win a replica Melbourne Cup made from a Bully Beef Tin.
The Emirates Melbourne Cup will travel for 118 days before returning to Melbourne for the 'race that stops a nation'™ on the first Tuesday in November.
John Moran of Sandakan POW Family and Friends QLD Inc. said the chance to host the Emirates Melbourne Cup was more than just an opportunity to witness the iconic gold trophy first hand.
"The staging of the 1942 Melbourne Cup in the Sandakan POW camp is an iconic example of the spirit, history and development of our nation that the Melbourne Cup symbolises and it has a strong bond with the story of Sandakan and the POWs who died and survived there," said John.
"Today the people of Sandakan have a close and enduring relationship with Australia and the Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour will encourage further visitation to explore the history and heritage of the country which is so closely linked forever to Australia,” said John.
The Cup will be joined by a stable of ambassadors who will make special appearances at key destinations throughout the three and a half month Tour.
VRC Chairman, Mr Michael Burn, said the Tour brings communities together in celebration of the coveted trophy and the rich 154-year history of the Melbourne Cup.
“The Tour began in 2003 out of a desire to share the history and magic of the Melbourne Cup with communities around Australia as well as share some of the personal stories behind our great race,” Mr Burn said, “We're thrilled to take that experience to many new locations and introduce the Cup to people who may never have the chance to visit Flemington.”
Since it began, the Tour has travelled more than 416,000 kilometres, visited more than 300 regional, rural and metropolitan destinations and hundreds of thousands of people have had the chance to hold the treasured trophy.
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| Melbourne Cup |
This year the Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour will also be encouraging communities to upload photos with the Cup to the VRC's social media platforms for the chance to win a trip for two to Flemington to join over 100,000 racegoers and witness the excitement and thrill of the Emirates Melbourne Cup. Competition entries must be tagged with #PeoplesCup and #EmiratesMelbourneCup to be valid.
melbournecuptour.com.au
melbournecuptour.com.au
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