Mindarie-Halidon races saved after swift action from locals

Two small towns in South Australia's Mallee are celebrating the return of the region's only horse racing event after it was controversially axed last year. 

The Mindarie-Halidon races attracts more than 1,000 punters to the two towns, with a combined population of around 50 people, a fixture of SA Racing for 107 years.

Issues with the condition of the track and sorting a club committee to organise the event led to Racing SA taking it off the calendar for 2022 and beyond. 

Community members launched a petition to save the event in March, with Racing SA yesterday confirming the races would not only return this September but remain a permanent fixture in years to come. 

Future events would be subject to the club maintaining a strong committee and suitable track conditions. 

«Just the outpouring to keep the club going was fantastic,» Mindarie-Halidon Racing Club president Geoff Redden said. 

«We always had a committee and it was just that the committee itself was ageing, and probably within the next four or five years some of them would have to drop off because of their age. 

»We've restructured, we've got 10 people on the executive committee, and each one's got a specific area that they'll be looking after."

Mr Redden added losing the event would have had a detrimental effect on the community. 

«It's just a relief for a majority of the farmers they come. They don't have to worry about what's happening on the farm,» he said. 

«We get probably 300-500 people who aren't even from the district come and camp and have a good time, and forget about their woes outside the gates.» 

When the petition was circulated in March, Racing SA said it had an agreement with the Mindarie Halidon Racing Club that the 2021 event would be the last.

The meet