Cup winner’s ride carnival standout

THEaward-winning actor Denzel Washington once said, “Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive infuences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well, I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor.”

Intriguingly, the word ‘mentor’ is one of the most revered and truly ancient of constructs known to humanity. When it comes to the word’s origin it is believed that it was frst coined by Western culture’s frst storyteller, Homer in his tale The Odyssey (800 BC) and it referred to the fgure who was tasked to be the guardian and advisor to the main character’s son. Another little known explanative as to its origin hails from Swahili culture where someone in each village was assigned the role of listening to children, and was in turn called “Habari gani menta”, which translates: the person who asks – “What’s happening?”

When most of us refect back on the highlights and major happenings of our own lives, more often than not they are either directly or indirectly the result of the infuence of mentors.

Be they family members, teachers, bosses, friends or inspiring fgures – role models from history even, or other cultures that somehow wield the power of inspiration and example over us to raise our assumptions of what is remotely possible.

“A mentor” once said human rights activist Kerry Kennedy, “is someone with a willingness to help others, who has a capacity to inspire, a determination to work hard, a clear sense of vision, an inspiring purpose, a deep sense of integrity and an appreciation for joy.” Last but not least and perhaps easily missed if anything, is the appreciation for joy. That rare ability to conjure and glean an infectious delight, because the battle to infuence our hearts and minds are always won by those most able to encourage us to reach our full potential.

One of my biggest creative role models is the Indian writer Rabindranath Tagore, who once noted, “Delight gives us the key to the truth of existence; it is personality acting upon personalities through incessant manifestations… Turn a tree into a log and it will burn for you, but it will never bear living fowers or fruit.” In other words, it is what we are capable of, for ourselves and importantly others going forward, through positive infuence that outright determines the value of our being.

Upon refection, the most infuential mentor fgures in my life have been John Broomhall, an uncle of mine; Wendy Robinson, an old high school teacher; my two dearest friends – Ray Plibersek and Michelle Starr; and two previous managers – Vince Graham and Dr Julie-Anne Tooth.

All of whom reiterate the sentiments of John C. Maxwell, “The people closest to me determine my level of success or failure. The better they are, the better I am. And if I want to go to the highest level, I can do it only with the help of other people. We have to take each other higher.”

BY TIM HOWARD

The 2023 Grafton July Racing Carnival was the best since the Covid-19 pandemic said CRJC executive offcer Michael Beattie.

Mr Beattie said for now the strength of carnivals has to be judged pre- and post-Covid, but rated this year’s event the strongest on the back of some outstanding racing.

He said crowd numbers and turnover fgures had stayed about equal with 2022, but said in the current economic climate that was a good effort.

“I can understand where people might have come to two more more days racing at the carnival, this year they could choose to come to just their favourite day,” he said.

“For that reason you have to take a line from the two major days of the carnival (Ramornie Handicap and Grafton

Cup) and on those two days you would have to say it was an outstanding event.”

Beattie said the dominant performance of Zoumon in leading throughout to win the Grafton Cup would be his standout memory of this July’s racing.

“I loved the authority of that win,” he said.

“For Rachel King to take control of the race and essentially steal it from the 600m mark was a great piece of riding.

“It was a really strong win.”

Beattie said he would expect Zoumon to go onto bigger things.

“He’s won three Listed races in his last three starts,” he said.

“I understand he might be spelled now, but I could see him winning one of the big staying races in the spring.”

He said Zoumon’s ability to stamp his authority on a race and put other horses in the feld under pressure from the start made him a special prospect.

Beattie said former jockey Leah Kilner’s part in The Big Goodbye’s Ramornie Handicap win was the other remarkable memory of the carnival.

“I doubt there was a dry eye in the place,” Beattie said.

In 2022 Kilner was injured in a horror fall which left her with severe head injuries and multiple fractures of bones throughout her body.

“It was touch and go if she would make it for quite a few days afterwards,” Beattie said.

“My take out of it was it showed how for a former Grafton girl how important it was to come to a July Carnival and win one of the big feature races.”

Beattie said it was a little too early to give fnal fgures on the TAB turnover, except to say it was trending to be similar to last year.

“Given the circumstances this year, that’s an outstanding effort,” he said.

The Maclean Cup on Sunday was the fnal feature race of the carnival, resulting in a win for Too Good To Be Tru.

The Wyong based galloper fnished half a length in front of Bean Foggy and two lengths in front of third placed Savvy Lad.

After the racing former Grafton jockey Ben Looker was name Jockey of the Carnival after scoring six wins, fve seconds and a third place, ahead of Aaron Bullock.

Wyong’s Damien Lane was the Trainer of the Carnival on a count back from Stephen Lee.

BY SARAH WATERS

MUSIC lovers focking to Splendour in the Grass in Byron Bay this weekend will be under very close watch.

Talent scouts from some of the world’s biggest modelling agencies will position themselves at the festival in the hope of fnding the next top model to sign.

Internationally renowned talent scout and agent Kirk Blake, who discovered high-profle model Jordan Barrett in Byron Bay, is cautiously optimistic he might fnd two new fresh faces among the crowd of