Women’s Day – Kenilworth
I am lucky to have known a number of remarkable women in my life. Perhaps the most remarkable is a very special lady by the name of Mabel Whately, who I got to know during my time in London. She was in her nineties at the time and her age had imposed frailties that required a little help from time to time (which is where I came in), but rather than being a nuisance, she regarded the extra people in her life as companionship and an opportunity to chat and share and make new friends.
Mabel had grown up in Burma and had one of those fabulous colonial childhoods that included riding on elephants as they lugged timber from the forests to the waterways. She was a devastating beauty in her youth and had been the poster girl for Silk Cut cigarettes, with her face plastered across London’s busses. She’s survived the war and two husbands – her first had been a test pilot in the war and her second a cousin to Winston Churchill.
She was widely travelled and widely read, was fastidious about reading her daily paper and staying abreast of current events and always had fascinating stories, interesting opinions and insights. She was enormously kind and gracious and inspired those qualities in those around her – so much so that someone once dubbed her carers ‘students of the Mabel Whately finishing school for girls!”. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about her was that she didn’t consider herself remarkable at all.
Women’s Day
Women’s Day – Kenilworth
Last Saturday I attended Women’s Day at Kenilworth and it was a reminder about how many fabulous and remarkable women we have in our lives. We may be known as the weaker sex and it is true that we seldom rely on individual strength, but women love nothing better than pooling resources and working together and when you get a group of strong women together it is incredible what we can achieve.
We perhaps don’t fight wars or burn bras or march on Parliament these days, but we still pioneer and change the world in our individual ways. My table alone boasted an incredible collection of strong women, all successful and remarkable in their own right. One was a high flyer in the hospitality business who was in charge of all the big rugby and soccer matches and had seen (and fed!) most of the biggest stars of the biggest games in recent memory.
Another was a super smart and sassy advertising and marketing whizz for a successful publishing business. In fact the entire room was bursting at the seams with wonderful ladies, who had all assembled to support some great charitable causes.
The Experience
Women’s Day – Kenilworth
When I arrived, the foyer was already buzzing with chatter and excitement as friends were greeted and seating found. After a bit of a dreary week weather-wise, the sun had come out and the vista across from our 4th floor vantage point was particularly breathtaking. Welcome drinks of Bottega Gold sparkling wine set the tone for our afternoon “with a touch of bling” perfectly.
We were still saying our hellos and enjoying our bubbles, when our table received a visit from our very own Oyster King. This rather fun concept is similar to the tequila girls that one is used to seeing in bars, but instead of a pretty girl with a shot glass, the Oyster Kings are a team of young men who shuck and prepare fresh West Coast oysters at your table.
The Oyster King website says that “The attraction lies not only in the presentation but also in the interactive experience between your guests and our Kings and Queens” and apart from the fact that they were entirely easy on the eye, it made for such an interesting and refreshing change to be served by folks who were genuinely knowledgeable and enthused about their product and were happy to chat and joke as they moved from table to table. Really a top service, a masterstroke from our Women’s Day organisers and two thumbs up from me.
The Charities
Women’s Day – Kenilworth
Anne Steyn took to the mic to tell us a little about the headline charity for the day. Reach For Recovery is an organisation run by and for survivors of breast cancer. These remarkable women have a presence in 90 countries and have been up and running in South Africa since 1976. They are the only charity who offer Visitation Volunteers – trained breast cancer survivors who visit patients in hospital to offer practical as well as emotional support.
These women provide educational literature, and a few comforts and soft touches for surgery patients, such as a bag for the port-au-vac drain, a cushion for under arm comfort and perhaps most poignantly, a soft prosthesis to help cope with the loss of what is perhaps one of the strongest symbols of womanhood. It was hard to listen to such harsh realities, a world away from the champagne and oysters and bright laughter of the afternoon.
It made for sobering thought to be reminded that all those present were at risk of breast cancer, but it was also humbling and inspiring to see women reaching out to help one another in such a profound way, particularly as a lot of their work is done for the less affluent of our sisters.
We got acquainted with our table mates over our starters of tomato, mozzarella and avocado and were then treated to a catwalk show of Tanya Wheeler Jewellery. Another beautiful and successful woman making beautiful things for other women.
Her fabulous prayer beads are gorgeous and high quality and were rightly a huge hit. Again, the proceeds went to a charitable cause and it is also worth thanking all the gorgeous ladies who modelled for us on Saturday as they had all donated their time free of charge too.
The Entertainment
Women’s Day – Kenilworth
Next we were treated to some skin care information and fabulous prize give-aways by the Utopia beauty salon and Optiphi skin care and then it was on to another exhibition of Bodissox products. Described by creator Leandra Roelofsz as “an outer expression of an Inner Attitude” that “becomes a creative canvas as a second skin”, they were fun, gorgeous pieces that can be worn either as an under garment or outwear for those of us who are perhaps a little closer to the ladies modelling the fashions than those of us having lunch and watching them!
We also got a sneak peek at some of Danielle Margaux’s creations, which were fun and floaty (and based at Bird Street in Stellenbosch for any fashionistas) and our lovely models then braved the chill to show off some of the forth coming season’s beach looks from Periquita swimwear in Sea Point. The energetic and always smiling Amanda Carey had organised for Harriet the Horse (sister to Harry who was recently seen scaling Kilimanjaro) to be auctioned off.
There was enthusiastic bidding and the R4,200 raised will be going towards some needy horses at the local Horse Care Unit. The highlight of the day was of course the prize give-away of a matching set of diamonds, generously donated by NR Diamonds. Lucky recipient Felicity Adams was overwhelmed, delightedly saying “I can’t believe it – I never win anything!” So huge thanks to NR Diamonds for making a special lady very happy.
The Racing
Women’s Day – Kenilworth
Of course there was also a full card of races to take in and fun to be had on the betting. Women’s Day was very well supported by a lot of racing ladies, but there were equal numbers of ladies who knew nothing about racing or betting and they had great fun trying to figure out the mysteries of weights and draws and the who’s who of the jockeys and trainers. Justin Snaith popped upstairs a couple of times during the day and the girls at my table were fascinated to hear that he was our current Cape champion trainer, had broken the record for wins in a single season and were even more thrilled when he put two on the board during the afternoon, including the fabulous Rain Gal in the day’s feature.
Princess Victoria was also a hit, with her good looks and glamorous name. I took one of my new friends downstairs to see her up close and personal and point out some of the parade ring personalities and we both stood on the rail and shouted the Princess home for her final victory.
I could regale the ladies with the Andrew Fortune story as well as boasting that his son was our current J&B Met winner. I have to say it was gratifying to see our world through fresh eyes and hear “Wow, but that’s fascinating!” I felt rather smug being able to say “Yes, it most certainly is.” How lucky we are to have such wonderful and colourful characters on our racing landscape.
Zubbadubbadoo
At 4pm the gentlemen were allowed to join the party and then Clyde Basel kicked off the hotly anticipated auction of the Jay Peg colt, so generously donated by Marsh Shirtliff, Lukas Theron and Hemel & Aarde Farm, not to mention an entire year’s free training by top Cape conditioner, Brett Crawford. The bidding was fierce and Zubbadabbadoo was knocked down for R130k to 12 ladies who I believe will meet shortly to pick a name for their newly formed syndicate. May I wish them huge fun and much success with their colt.
After the formalities were concluded for the last race, MC Gabriel Shai kicked up a gear and really got the entertainment going. I had horses to see to, so slipped out before the party really got going, but was told that it carried on late into the night and that there were many sore feet and worn out shoes by Sunday morning. The organising team have reported being overwhelmed by thanks and feedback and it is only fair to add my voice to the choir and sing their praises for a wonderfully fun afternoon.
The Peninsula Room looked beautiful with its festively decorated tables, glamorous glassware and crisp new linen, the food was wonderful (who doesn’t love chocolate dipped strawberries?) and the cheese station was a treat. Huge thanks to the wonderful ladies for putting it together, the ladies that contributed their talents and showcased their hard work for our entertainment and of course to all the fabulous ladies that attended and made the afternoon such a success. From our blue hens to our spring chickens, we all had a great time. Here’s to being wonderful and to doing it all over again next year!
