A Day at the Races

Author

Written by Norman Cramp, Director of the Darwin Military Museum.

During WW2, over 100,000 military personnel were stationed in the NT. Life was pretty tough for them, particularly when the enemy were dropping bombs on them, and recreational activities were few and often far between.

The most common activities were swimming, shooting the odd crocodile, drinking beer (when they had some) and a day at the races when a meeting could be arranged. Although it is not clear as to where this meeting was held, it is clear it was a full card of events. One would imagine it was very well supported on the day.

The flyer/brochure was dropped into the office of the Ararat Advertiser in early 2018 but was then gifted to the Darwin Military Museum (DMM). The DMM management on donated the document to the NT Library to be secured and recorded as a part of the NT’s wartime history.
It is hoped the flyer will be included in the NT government’s Territory Stories website catalogue.