Judy Muir works the tote at the Hawea Picnic Races in 2012. PHOTO: ODT FILESAfter 57 years as a volunteer at the Hawea Picnic Races, 80-year-old Judy Muir jokes her parents might not have approved of this achievement. It is said tongue in cheek, but it was through marriage that Mrs Muir found herself every year after Christmas stuck inside the hot aluminum totalisator building. Mrs Muir’s late husband Fred first attended as a child and his father had been there from the very start. The picnic races feature pony gymkhana events (jumping, pole bending), family fun sports races (sack races, lolly scramble, tug-of-war), and equalisator horse racing (harness racing, a locals’ hack race, human runner v horse).

Source: Otago Daily Times December 22, 2025 15:33 UTC