The Australian New Zealand Women’s Group (ANZWG) Melbourne Cup 2019
On the 5th of November, no wind blew in Bangkok, except for a huge blast erupting from the Amari Watergate Hotel, as over 400 people joined together for the annual Melbourne Cup (MC) celebrations.
This year’s amazing MC team was led by Khun Jentana Ngamkhiaw and Chona Broadman, along with Khun Neung’s team from the Amari. Together they made this charity luncheon another success story for 2019. Proceeds from the MC will continue to go to ANZWG’s scholarship and education projects, where every year over 100 young Thais, mainly from the rural sector are enabled to fulfil their dreams of improving their lives and those around them.
None of this would be possible without all the generous and caring sponsors, including: ‘Blackmores’ Australia, ‘Shrewsbury International School’ Bangkok Riverside, ‘Absolute You’, ‘Akala Villa’, ‘Capella’ Bangkok, ‘Cotton House Bangkok’, ‘Idsmed’, ‘Mandarin Oriental Bangkok’, ‘Thai Airways’ and the many others who contributed to the hundreds of prizes that were won throughout the day.
The day officially begins at 9.30am. A flourish of amazing women arrive, along with a token of lovely men. Hats galore, outfits to die for, with the air buzzing with excitement, elevators and escalators pour in the troops for one amazing day. This is seriously one day of partying in Bangkok.
On entering the Amari Ballroom, the all-girl band, “Unicorn” sets the tone, timbre and decibel level for the day. They are an amazing group, and people were dancing, before even settling at their places. The waiters dressed as jockeys are ready. The atmosphere is electric.
Things go quiet for the respective anthems, led by Thailand’s national anthem, after which the two MCs, the Dibbayawan Brothers, Gary and Paul, get the ball rolling. The ANZWG President, Theresa Rayfield, welcomes the honoured guests, H.E. Australian Ambassador, Allan McKinnon, along with our co-patron Makiko Morita and plus our ANZWG co-patron from New Zealand, Christina MacPherson. Amid all the buzz everyone is welcomed.
The guests make the day… yes, they are wined and dined for hours, but they all exude fun. This year there we even had two tables of expat Thais returning to join in the fun. As everyone arrives, bubbles and canapés are served, once in the ballroom, a succulent lunch is served (NZ lamb for the meat-eaters), a selection of desserts followed by cheese, dried fruits and nuts… meanwhile, the wines are flowing, as are the spectacles of the ‘fashion on the field’ beings paraded in front of us. The ambience, noise, (DJ George and Unicorn) pageantry continue, along with the prizes, photos, dancing, all combining to make this a day to remember.
