Rodney Stevens
Seven little piggies didn’t go to market, or have roast beef, but they did thrill a crowd of more than 500 at one of the Clarence Valley’s quirkiest sporting events, the annual Iluka Woombah Rotary Club Pignic Races last week at Club Iluka.
Distinguished by their designer-coloured sequined vests, the portly steeds from Noah’s Thoroughbred Racing Pigs had their tiny trotters trampling over the Iluka turf for the first time in two years, raising money for children’s charity, following a forced sabbatical due to covid.
Iluka Woombah Rotary Club Public Image chair Cheryl Dimmock said there were two ways spectators could win at the Pignic Races.
“They could buy raffle tickets in each race and seven tickets are drawn for each race and each ticket in each race is assigned a piglet,” she said.
“There was the auction of the pigs for the Calcutta where individuals or groups bid in an auction for one of the 7 piglets in each of the 5 races.
“In the Calcutta, bids would sometimes get up to six, seven, eight or nine hundred dollars for a pig.
“The little piglets wear different coloured vests and they’re sponsored by different businesses in Iluka.
“In each race, from the pool of money collected half would go to the charity that Rotary has chosen to support, and half would go to the person whose pig won the race.”
Tackling a testing obstacle course, the seven little pigs race to see who gets their snout in a bowl of milk-based food at the finish line.
“They come out through a little barrier and then they run through these cylinders, then they knock a little gate and run through the gate, then come back around and over an A-frame then they run to the middle where there are several bowls, one containing milk, and it’s the first piggie to get their snout in the bowl,” Mrs Dimmock said.
“Occasionally one pig would run off one way and all the others would follow them, so they did have to be moved along a couple of times, but eventually one piggie would get to the bowl of milk first.”
Mrs Dimmock said thanks to their generous sponsors, there was also a lucky door draw for $500 and a $500 beauty product prize for the winner of the Fashions on the Field, Carla.
“Club Iluka constantly supports local organisations by giving the premises to use for free for functions like this and Rotary thanks them for their support and for endlessly giving to help the community,” Mrs Dimmock said.
While past Pignic Races have raised around $10,000, Iluka Woombah Rotary Club were still tallying up how much money was raised, Mrs Dimmock said, which will be donated to a Children’s charity that the club will nominate.
Over the past decade, Noah’s Thoroughbred Racing Pigs have raised more than $500,000 for charity, entertaining crowds in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Tasmania.
Club Iluka General Manager Nicola Donsworth said a crowd of more than 500 people enjoyed the Pignic Races while feasting on delicious fare from fantastic food trucks that attended.
“A few people who hadn’t seen them before thought it was just great and other people were saying they had such a good time and it was such a positive event, and they really enjoyed themselves,” she said.
Ms Donsworth said it was also extremely pleasing to see more than 1000 people at Club Iluka’s New Year’s Eve event, featuring food trucks and music by the Ray Catt Band and Push.
Iluka Woombah Rotary Club said they were fortunate in receiving wonderful support from Pignic Races naming rights sponsor – L J Hooker Iluka, plus major sponsor – Club Iluka.
Other Pignic Races sponsors were ‘The Little Local Café’, Iluka Bargains – Discount Variety Store, Peter Campbell Physiotherapy, OTG, Clarence Head Caravan Park, Iluka Motel, Iluka Rideshare, Chez Basho Boatshed Café, Iluka Bait and Tackle, Anchorage Caravan Park, and Iguana Beachwear.