HORSHAM event organisers believe the Melbourne Cup public holiday needs to change to benefit the region.
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Horsham Rural City Council is reviewing the holiday and asking the community if it should be reallocated to another day.
Wimmera Machinery Field Day manager Murray Wilson said the committee had pushed for the holiday to change many times over the past few years.
“By keeping it on Melbourne Cup day, council is supporting a Melbourne event," he said.
“The holiday needs to be used for a Wimmera event, whether that’s field days or a CWA quilting show – it doesn’t matter, but it needs to benefit the region.”
Mr Wilson said a public holiday during the field days would give people more opportunities to attend.
“The field days is the biggest event in the region,” he said. “People want the opportunity to come along and we want to give them the best chance to do that.
“We’ve done surveys over the years and found people are supportive of the field days being a public holiday.”
Mr Wilson said many community groups relied on the field days to raise money.
“Groups struggle for volunteers every year,” he said.
“If there was one day that everyone could be available to help out, it takes the load of the people who always put up their hands.”
Mr Wilson said the field days committee would ramp up the event, if there was a public holiday.
“Council just need to try it and see how it goes,” he said.
“If it doesn’t work, they can always change it.”
Horsham Agricultural Society will not request the Melbourne Cup holiday be relocated to the Horsham Show.
The show previously always had a half-day public holiday until council removed it in 2009.
Society secretary Andrea Cross said the show was now on a Sunday.
“When we lost the public holiday, it had a huge impact on us,” she said.
“Looking forward, we knew we weren’t assured a public holiday in the future so we moved the show to a Sunday.
“Our show has to be in the same week each year.
“Now with the AFL public holiday thrown in around the same time, I don’t think there is any luck of us getting a holiday for the show.“
Horsham and District Racing Club is pushing for the holiday to change to Horsham Cup day.