HEADING to the Swan Hill June Racing Carnival without a date?
No need to stress — odds are you might just bump into your future husband or wife this weekend.
As the meeting place of several happily married couples in recent years, the racing carnival is quite literally earning its reputation as the biggest event on Swan Hill’s social calender.
Former Melbournian Natalie Clohesy never imagined she would meet a man — let alone her future husband — when she ventured out of the city to attend the carnival with a girlfriend in 2007.
“Mick came up to me and introduced himself,” she said.
“We chatted for a while and he asked me if I would ever move up to Swan Hill.
“I was a bit pretentious back then… I said ‘No way. No way would I ever move to Swan Hill’.
“He said ‘There’s no point talking to you then’ and walked off on me.
“I thought to myself ‘No man has ever walked off on me before’ so I took him up on the challenge.”
Natalie returned to Melbourne but, lo and behold, soon decided she would do the thing she vowed she would never do.
“I decided to move here for six months. I needed a change — it wasn’t anything to do with Mick,” she said.
“I met up with him again and we officially got together at the Manangatang races that same year.”
They were married in 2009 and now have two children, Thomas and Ayla.
Sheree Watson was also introduced to her husband Andrew at the racing carnival in 2012.
The sales and marketing executive at Murray Mallee Racing, Sheree was organising the event for the second time.
“I was a very busy woman at the time, but during it all it I was introduced to a Scottish gentleman who had not long moved to Mildura.
“I believe someone handed him my business card and it all went from there.”
Sheree and Andrew “haven’t looked back” since and were married in March.
Sheree said she knew of several other couples who had met at Swan Hill’s racecourse over the years — and she was sure there were plenty more to come.
“Really, when you think about it, the races are such a great way to meet people.
“It’s a great atmosphere and a really good way to meet friends of friends.
“You can just sit back and relax, be yourself and be happy amongst friends. You never know.”
