Ladies Race Night, Saturday 8th September 2007
After a few years absence the Race Night made a welcome return to the Lodge of St. Michael. This year the night was held as a Ladies Race Night with the Ladies encouraged to wear a hat with a prize of a bottle of champagne for the best. A gazebo was erected in the corner of the bar into which the unscrupulous Lodge Turf Accountants (McAllister and Wedgner) placed themselves and proceeded to relieve the 60 strong crowd of their money.
The race card consisted of nine eight horses races. After selecting your chosen horse and placing your wager a form guide was shown on the screen and it was at this point you discovered whether you had picked Red Rum or Muffin the Mule! The race was then shown with the crowd noise increasing to crescendo as the horses passed winning post. The winners collected from the bookies whilst the losers bemoaned their bad luck. This cycle continued until after the fifth race when the supper of Steak pie, roast potatoes, garden peas and gravy was served, the Ladies hat competition was judged with Mrs Nadine Bratley being declared the winner.
With the tables cleared it was back to the races again. The final race was slightly different with the Horses auctioned off, the winning owner to receive half the total money bet on the race. Big Dave made it a Bratley clean sweep as his horse romped home by three lengths.
The evening was a great success with £755.22 being raised for charitable causes.
Unfortunately some of the Brethren had to settle their gambling debts by washing up!
W. Bro's Ling Faang Yu, Andy Lowthorpe (partly hidden) and Allan Hemmings.