The Great Duck Race 19 NOVEMBER 2023
The excitement is building as the plans for the Duck Race are taking shape. Its now time for you to purchase your raffle ticket. Every ticket gets you a yellow duck that matches your raffle ticket number and the chance to win a prize from the $2000 prize pool. The major prize is $1,000. Be quick so that you do not miss out. There are 2,500 ducks up for grabs and once the tickets are sold the opportunity is gone. Scan the QR code or go the the link to purchase.
We are teaming up with the Adelaide Rally https://www.adelaiderally.com.au/strathalbyn who will be running their annual event through the Hills and Fleurieu with over 400 rally cars coming to Strathalbyn on the day. There will be a time trial street circuit around the town and park, and you can enjoy the fun of the Duck Race in the Park. There will be food vans, and a market run by the Strathalbyn CWA with lots of market stalls and plenty of fun for the kids. The Steamranger will be running a Duck Race train from Mt Barker so you can go to https://www.steamrangerheritagerailway.org/event/strathalbyn-duck-train/ if you would like to catch the train.
A little history about this event. The Strathalbyn rotary club began the Great Duck Race in 1990 and the club is continuing the tradition with one of their major fundraising event of the year. Funds raised by Rotary are spent in the local community. In 1990, the Director of the Club Service Committee, Frank Clennett, was charged with the responsibility of fund-raising on behalf of the club. Frank bought 2,000 small yellow ducks and presented the bill at the next Rotary Club meeting, and the Great Duck Race was off and flying. For the first race, local radio station 5MU, brought their outside broadcast van and broadcast the race live. There was also the chance to be interviewed on 5AA which is something that the club still does. Over the years there have been many creative ways to persuade those little ducks to race down the river. In the second year of the race it took the ducks 2.5 hours to make it to the finish line, and there have been water jets to small boats encouraging the ducks (with a few sunk along the way).
In 2018 the wind machine was introduced and now encourages the ducks down the line.
Raffle tickets are available for the great race, with the number on your ticket matching up with the number on the bottom of a duck.
We also run the best dressed Corporate Duck with local businesses battling it out for the prize which is voted on by the public. The Corporate Ducks also have there own race with bragging rights up for grabs.