Opera in the Paddock

For weeks I had really wanted to attend Opera in the Paddock but had resigned myself to attending to family commitments.

That was until Friday morning when my old school friend April rang to tell me she had just won tickets. Wow. I packed the car and drove and drove, arriving in Delungra just as the gates were opening.

And also, just as the storm, which had been threatening all day, unleashed itself.

I can honestly say it was scary. The black sky, lightning zig-zagginng all around us, thunder crashes and then a tweet from April’s daughter saying Bingara Show had just copped hail bigger than golf balls. Nobody was moving though. I heard some of the 1,100 people calling out “this is crazy”, “I can’t believe I’m doing this” as the grand piano was covered in blankets, speakers pulled down and the sound tent blew over.

Nobody was moving though. Flimsy raincoats covered tuxedos and ballgowns as black mud coated slippers and once fancy-polished boots. When wild wind lashed out, knocking down a ladder on the stage everyone just smiled and poured another drink.

The crowd were delighted when Peta Blyth emerged from behind the curtains and gave us a peek at her bloomers.

Sadly though, a short time later, (a lightning strike to a tree on a nearby property had caused a fire) Opera in the Paddock 2015 was officially cancelled.

I read later that a man who had travelled from Queensland stated “ It was the most enjoyable event that never happened which I have ever been to.”

Would I go again? Hell yeah!

Also my apologies to the owners of Mimosa for leaving my black-mud drenched sandals under a tree in the paddock.