The story of
Patrobas
Following his Derby triumph, Patrobas firmed in the betting to 10/1 for the Melbourne Cup, where he would drop in weight to 7 stone 6 pounds in the handicap event over two miles. Smart was unable to retain the mount for the Melbourne Cup due to his inability to make the light weight. The ride on Patrobas was offered to and accepted by Bobby Lewis, who had previously won the great race in 1902 on The Victory. Carrying saddlecloth number 19 in the Cup and with Lewis wearing a rose pink jacket and cap hand-made by Edith Widdis, Patrobas began well and avoided the interference caused to some of the field by three horses falling in the early stages. Lewis stayed on the rails just behind the leaders for much of the journey until reaching the home straight. He then produced Patrobas for a final effort, where he defeated long-shot Westcourt and Carlita in a thrilling finish. In 1915, women were not afforded the same privileges as men on Melbourne’s racetracks and Mrs. Widdis was relegated to watching the race from the ladies’ grandstand a considerable distance from the winning post. Attempting to follow Patrobas in the charge to the finish, she sat down after the horses passed the post thinking her colt had run a gallant second. Upon hearing that number 19 had indeed won, the delighted owner told onlookers that she had to excuse herself and make her way to collect the Cup trophy. As no woman had ever before won the great race, it was no surprise that the nearby patrons in the stand were disbelieving of her claim. She also encountered great difficulty in gaining permission to access to the areas necessary to reach mounting yard and as a result missed the presentation. By the time she arrived, the Governor had already presented the Cup trophy to her husband John in her absence. Sportingly, the Governor reassembled the presentation party and handed the Cup to Mrs. Widdis, who proudly brought the trophy home to Gippsland. It is presently kept on display at the Wellington Shire Council offices in Sale. There is so much more to the story surrounding Patrobas and, thanks to the tireless efforts of a small group of Gippsland women, the memory lives on through both the statue of the horse in Princes Reserve in Rosedale and the recent release of a new book titled Rosedale’s Patrobas: The remarkable story of the 1915 Melbourne Cup. Dawn’s principal co-pilot in pursuing these projects from the outset was her friend Margaret Lobley.
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“It all began with the idea for the statue,” Dawn O’Connell recalls. “Back then in 1991 my husband and I were running the Post Office in Rosedale and Margaret was working in the real estate agency next door. She was equally fascinated by the Patrobas story. We thought a statue of the horse in Rosedale would be a fitting way to commemorate such a historic event. “Edith Widdis’s grandson, John Leslie and the family were hugely encouraging of the concept. I took the proposal to the Chamber of Commerce in Rosedale, They thought it was a good idea at first but their interest waned.” Soon after it was calculated that a sum of $35,000 would be needed to bring the statue project to fruition but Dawn was determined to find a way to make it possible. In an effort to kick-start the fundraising campaign she donated a painting and held a raffle, well aware that much more assistance would be needed. “I’ve never been frightened to have a crack at something,” she says. “I have the gift of the gab and am not afraid to talk to anyone. The worst people can say to you is no, and if that’s their answer you move on and try somewhere else.” Fortunately, Dawn began to find others who were supportive of the project. National Party State Member at the time, Peter Hall, introduced her to a corporate donor who provided $5,000 to really get the fundraising effort moving. Another contact at Barcon Steel donated steel for the statue. Numerous other local people also helped with fundraising along the way. It took 12 years to get sufficient money together but thankfully Dawn’s patience and perseverance was eventually rewarded. The end result was an impressive statue of Patrobas crafted by Jim Lawrence from flat steel, which was unveiled in Princes Reserve in Rosedale on 4th November 2007. This undoubtedly would not have been possible without Dawn’s tireless pursuit of the funding. “Peter McGauran joked at the dedication ceremony for the statue that every time he heard my voice in his office he went out the back door because he knew that I would be looking for money,” she laughs. “In hindsight, I would go about everything in a very different way if it were today. Now I’m a full-time fundraiser for the Leukaemia Foundation, but back then I was a bit naïve about fundraising and wasn’t aware about things like grants in those days.”